No indication that the Lakers are pursuing Brandon Ingram from the Pelicans

The Los Angeles Lakers have been looking to improve their roster on the trade market, and arguably the biggest name that could be available before the trade deadline is New Orleans Pelicans winger Brandon Ingram.

Ingram obviously has a connection to LA, having been drafted second overall by Duke in 2016 and later traded for Anthony Davis as part of the package.

While Ingram continued to grow his game in New Orleans, he dealt with a number of injuries and his contract expires at the end of this year. Since the Pelicans were unwilling to give him an extension last summer and are unlikely to re-sign him, they are expected to try to trade him by February.

Nevertheless, NBA insider Jake Fischer reports that he has not heard anything about the Lakers wanting to pursue the 27-year-old:

Ingram’s first NBA franchise is actually often tipped by scouts as a potential destination for the next Ingram transfer, but I haven’t received any indication that the Lakers want to pursue him now. All credible signals circulating about the Lakers indicate that LA is looking to bolster its frontcourt and add perimeter defense to support LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Something could always change in the next few months, but as the report states, Ingram’s skill set isn’t exactly what the Lakers are missing from their current roster.

The argument for trading for him would be more the post-LeBron James era and finding another star to pair with Davis and the rest of their core. Additionally, given Ingram’s contract situation and upcoming free agency, the price tag for him shouldn’t be too high.

It remains to be seen whether New Orleans would be interested in doing business with LA again, but if so, Rob Pelinka can offer something along the lines of D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura and draft compensation. The Lakers have two first-round picks available to trade, but likely wouldn’t be willing to trade both for Ingram. Other young players New Orleans might be interested in could include Max Christie, Austin Reaves and Dalton Knecht, although the Lakers’ willingness to trade any of them remains to be seen.

Brandon Ingram joins Klutch Sports

What made Brandon Ingram’s situation with the Pelicans even more interesting was that he recently switched agencies and signed with Klutch Sports, which of course helped bring Anthony Davis to the Lakers.

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