The perfect Lakers trade offer for Brandon Ingram
The Los Angeles Lakers have had a tumultuous past thirty days or so. They’ve endured a brutal losing streak, injuries continuing to pile up, and now the latest reporting around LeBron possibly wanting to be traded.
Now, there is also reporting that LeBron would rather stay in LA and improve the roster, but you can’t be positive.
REPORT: LeBron James has not given any indication to Lakers about requesting a trade, per @WindhorstESPN.
LeBron wants the Lakers to upgrade the roster they already have. pic.twitter.com/7WgR6zIzUB
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) December 11, 2024
In the event LeBron does indeed stay with the Lakers, that does not forgo why he would stay. He wants the team upgraded. There are multiple avenues to accomplish this; it’s a matter of the team’s internal timeline. If the goal is to win now, bringing back a former Laker could help them do that.
Who is Brandon Ingram
I’m almost certain that if you are reading this, you know and remember who Brandon Ingram is. For any newer fans who don’t, let’s get into it. Brandon Ingram is an extremely rangy 6’8 wing with incredible scoring ability. He has been a highly touted player for the entirety of his career.
Originally drafted 2nd overall in 2016 by the Lakers, Ingram came to LA and became a core piece of the young foundation the team was building. Eventually, along with other young pieces, Ingram was a part of the exchange for Anthony Davis.
Throughout his time with New Orleans, Ingram has grown up and established himself as a premier scorer in the game. In his time with the Pelicans, Ingram has averaged 23/6/6 while shooting 47% from the field and 37% from three.
Those are numbers that would help the Lakers tremendously right now.
The Los Angeles Lakers are the favorites to acquire Brandon Ingram in a potential trade, per @BovadaOfficial
He’s reportedly looking for a “winning situation” pic.twitter.com/R5KO8wpq6f
— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) December 5, 2024
The Perfect Lakers Trade
Lakers Receive: Brandon Ingram, Daniel Theis, and Javonte Green
Pelicans Receive: D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, Max Christie, Jalen Hood-Schifino, 2029 1st-round pick, and (2) 2nd-round picks
This trade would be a reasonably large ordeal, as many players would be needed to make it work. Landing Ingram would clearly be the prize of this deal, but Los Angeles would also benefit from other aspects of it.
Picking up Daniel Theis would be a great way to improve the legitimacy of the frontcourt’s depth. His numbers are down currently, but I’m sure some of that can be attributed to his team’s overall performance. Last season, he shot 37% from three, so the 22% he is currently at shouldn’t hold.
Javonte Green is a decent 3&D wing who, at 6’5, should, at a minimum, be able to help with defense and rebounding efforts.
More importantly, sending out more players than we would receive would open up an additional roster spot the team did not have before. This would give Rob Pelinka the opportunity to scour the buyout market.
The three players the Lakers would receive are also all expiring contracts, giving the team much more room to try to send off LeBron with a bang next season.
The Fit With the Lakers
Inserting Brandon Ingram into this Lakers lineup would wreak havoc. When fully healthy, opposing teams really have to worry about three players (James, Davis, Reaves) going and getting their own shot. If you added one more elite scorer to that mix to rescue failed offensive possessions, watch out.
Ingram has not only shot 38% from the corner three spot over his career but nearly 42% when left open. I can guarantee that he would get more open looks in LA than he currently has as New Orleans’ number one option.
Having Ingram in the starting lineup would also allow Rui Hachimura, who is having a fantastic season, to come off the bench and assist the bench unit with scoring and rebounding. With Theis also coming off the bench, this move would create much more roster balance, especially in the form of playable players.
Reunions don’t always work out in LA the way that we hope. Although our closest memories are Russell and Schröder, we can’t forget that Dwight Howard came back and won a ring. Who knows, maybe Ingram can come home and do the same.
