Los Angeles Lakers better not trade Brandon Ingram
If the Los Angeles Lakers made a trade, Brandon Ingram should not be included in any deal. Seriously, Magic Johnson, DON’T TRADE BRANDON INGRAM!
I’ve been one of Los Angeles Lakers forward Brandon Ingram’s biggest critics over the first quarter of the season. I wish he’d pass the ball more and stop shooting 18 footers, but does that mean I think he should be traded? NO, he shouldn’t be dealt.
If I were to write the GM’s Hand Book, Rule #1 would be:
If a player possesses these attributes don’t trade him (Hint: Ingram has all of these qualities):
- He’s 21 years’ old
- He’s never had a serious injury
- He’s never had any issues off the court
- He works extremely hard
- He could be this generation’s Scottie Pippen
What’s Brandon Ingram basement? 18 points, five rebounds and three assists per game, to go along with above-average perimeter defense. That’s not bad for a worst-case scenario.
What makes Ingram’s potential so enticing though, is he’s a gym rat. He works as hard during the off-season as anybody in the NBA, and typically guys with talent who put in the time become all-stars.
An in his prime Brandon Ingram could easily average 23 points, six rebounds and five assists per game and be a top-five defender in the league. Why would you trade a player like that? So you can pick up Bradley Beal?
Let’s say the Lakers pull the trigger and deal Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and an unprotected 1st round pick for Bradley Beal, then what?
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Is that deal bringing a championship to LA? Nope. Bradley Beal is a good offensive player. He’s averaging 22 PPG on 46 percent shooting, but he’s a poor defensive player who has never had a positive defensive rating.
Maybe the front office is convinced that they won’t be able to land Kawhi Leonard or Kevin Durant over the summer, so they have to make a trade to pick up a 2nd star to pair with LeBron James.
That doesn’t make sense, though, because even if the Lakers don’t pick up Leonard or Durant they can still land Tobias Harris or Khris Middleton in free agency while keeping their young core intact. Compare Beal’s current stats to Harris’s and Middleton’s:
Bradley Beal: 21.7 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 4.0 APG, .532 eFG%, 32.9 3P%, 17.9 PER, and 1.4 WS
Tobias Harris: 21.4 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 2.4 APG, 57.9 eFG%, 42.9 3P%, 19.2 PER, and 2.4 WS
Khris Middleton: 18.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 4.0 APG, 55.4 eFG%, 41.9 3P%, 17.9 PER, and 2.2 WS
Bradley Beal made the All-Star game last year for the first time, so he has the name recognition that Harris and Middleton lack, but is he actually better than either player? If he is superior, it’s not by much.
If Durant leaves the Warriors for the New York Knicks, a 9-man rotation for the Lakers could consist of something like this. JaVale McGee, LeBron, Tobias Harris or Khris Middleton, Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart, Tyson Chandler, and Rajon Rondo. That is a roster that could definitely make it to the finals.
If the Lakers stand pat and don’t make any rash trades, the 9-man rotation above is the Lakers worst case scenario. There is the very real possibility that Durant or Kawhi do come to the Lakers. Especially Kawhi. Do you really think he likes being stranded up in Canada?
People say that if the Toronto Raptors make it to the NBA Finals, there’s no way he’ll leave, but LeBron just made the finals and he left Cleveland for LA. Kawhi wants the national and worldwide recognition he feels he deserves and there’s no organization in the world that has more fans than the Lakers. Thus, no team can help him get the credit he craves for being a top-10 player in the NBA.
Ingram’s advanced stats aren’t impressive and sometimes it seems like he’s allergic to passing the basketball, but the dude’s got game. He’s not the next Kevin Durant, but three years from now he could easily be a top-30 player in the NBA.
Next. 3 Goals For Brandon Ingram In 2018-19 Season. dark
Smart teams don’t trade players like Ingram unless the player they’re getting back is an All-NBA talent. Bradley Beal certainly isn’t a top-15 player in the NBA, nor are any of the other players who’ll be available for a trade, so the Lakers better not move Ingram in a deal for them.