10 Former players that have excelled since leaving the Los Angles Lakers

5. Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans

The Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans made a trade that every NBA fan is aware of. No, not the Chris Paul trade that should've been. It was the deal that sent Anthony Davis to Los Angeles in exchange for a package that centered around almost every member of the Lakers' promising young core.

Of the players who were sent to New Orleans, it's fair to state that Brandon Ingram has become the star of the group.

The Lakers selected Ingram at No. 2 overall in the 2016 NBA Draft. He averaged just 9.4 points per game as a rookie, but nearly doubled his production by year three at 18.7 points per contest on 49.7 percent shooting from the field—albeit while converting just 67.5 percent of his free throws.

Since being traded to New Orleans, Ingram has averaged upwards of 20.8 points per game on 80.1 percent shooting at the charity stripe or better in five consecutive seasons.

In addition to coming into his own as a generally efficient scorer, Ingram has averaged upwards of 5.6 assists per game in each of the past three seasons. He's also improved from the point of shooting 32.9 percent on three-point field goals in Los Angeles to 37.2 percent in New Orleans.

No player has improved more since leaving the Lakers than Ingram, which makes it poetic that he is a potential trade target for Los Angeles in 2024.