Los Angeles Lakers supporters are still hoping for a major trade this offseason, but it may never happen. According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers are anticipated to be patient while making their next move.
One possible move that may be ruled out is a reunion with New Orleans Pelicans star Brandon Ingram. According to a Lakers insider, the team is unlikely to make a trade for Ingram or Utah Jazz big man Lauri Markkanen.
“Right now, I don’t see a blockbuster transaction. “I don’t see [the Lakers] having enough for Lauri Markkanen,” the analyst said in a July 16, 2024 episode of the “Buha’s Block” podcast. “I haven’t heard of any interest in Brandon Ingram. So, I do not see them.
Going after those two guys.” Let’s look at the Lakers’ next probable moves and why Ingram is an unlikely trade target.
The Lakers are unlikely to make a trade to bring back Brandon Ingram. Insider Ingram is nearing the end of a five-year, $158.2 million contract. The Pelicans star appears to be eyeing a new hefty contract.
“The Pelicans, league sources confirmed to Yahoo Sports, have not presented Brandon Ingram with an offer near his full maximum contract, and there does not appear to be a true option for Ingram to find that figure around the league now that Sacramento landed DeRozan,” Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports wrote in a July 15, 2013 newspaper article titled “The new CBA has changed the game, and teams are adjusting to a new landscape.” The Lakers traded Ingram to the Pelicans in 2019 as part of a three-team transaction that included Anthony Davis.
The Lakers are willing to be patient in making an NBA trade.
Los Angeles faces its own salary cap difficulties without adding Ingram’s next contract to the equation. Ingram began his career with the Lakers as the second choice in the 2016 NBA draft.
The forward played his first three seasons with the Lakers. If Markkanen and Ingram aren’t viable options, where would the Lakers look in the coming weeks? There were plenty of speculations linking Los Angeles to talents like Klay Thompson and DeMar DeRozan. Lakers fans should look for less showy actions from potential role players.
“There is still plenty of time for the Lakers to make a move this week, this month, ahead of training camp, early in the season or even closer to the Feb. 7 deadline,” Buha wrote in a piece on July 16: “What I learned about Lakers’ patient offseason strategy — and how long it might last.” “Waiting out the trade market could lower asking prices and reverse the league-wide reluctance to take on the contracts of Russell, Hachimura, Vanderbilt and/or Vincent.”… However, the Lakers have stated unequivocally that they will not trade solely for the sake of trading. They want it to be purposeful. They may only have one or two more opportunities with James and Davis. The bar for moving one of their first-round picks, much less two, is high.”
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