Now that Paul George and Klay Thompson have found new homes, the options for teams looking to find more shot creation and shooting are drying up. Here’s why Utah gets more calls about Lauri Markkanen and why interest in DeMar DeRozan appears to be growing.
That also goes for the Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram as more teams call about a possible trade, Marc Stein wrote about it in his last newsletter.
Efforts in New Orleans to trade Brandon Ingram have intensified in recent days, league sources say. Sources tell The Stein Line that with the reality that the contract extension terms his camp had hoped for from the Pelicans aren’t forthcoming, there has also been some exploration of trade options on Ingram’s part.
New Orleans doesn’t want to pay Ingram that next contract — he is entering the final year of his current $36 million contract — and was looking to trade him for the addition of Dejounte Murray. The Pelicans have Trey Murphy III deserving of more minutes on the wing and are looking to offer him a rookie contract extension this offseason. Moving Ingram clears that path.
The Sacramento Kings are the team most often mentioned in an Ingram trade, with a swap based on Harrison Barnes, Kevin Huerter and picks. The Kings have also explored using that package to land Utah’s Lauri Markkanen or Washington’s Kyle Kuzma.
Ingram averaged 20.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.7 assists in nearly 33 minutes per game for the Pelicans in the 64 games he played last season, but his injury history is a concern for teams interested in signing him.
