Lakers Need To Consider Summer Trade for Former Los Angeles Lottery Pick

It's a risky move, but the Lakers need to do something.

Jul 2, 2024; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka at a press conference at the UCLA Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka has made very, very limited moves during L.A.'s offseason, despite the club clearly needing serious roster churn after a disappointing five-game first round playoff exit this spring.

For the second straight season, L.A. was vanquished by the Denver Nuggets in a quick playoff series, only this time the loss happened in the first round, not the Western Conference Finals. The regression should have served as an absolute wake-up call for Pelinka, that his 47-35 roster wasn't good enough to compete for the franchise's 18th league title.

With All-NBA frontcourt superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis having emerged as two of the best players for the Team USA men's basketball club in this summer's Paris Olympics, the team's recent postseason shortcomings look all the more glaring. This roster needs some major personnel changes if it wants to number among the best in the West once again anytime soon.

That's why Pelinka needs to do something drastic.

Something like, say, trading for a former Mitch Kupchak-era Lakers NBA lottery draft pick, New Orleans Pelicans combo forward Brandon Ingram.

Ingram has suited up alongside LeBron James before, briefly, during the latter's first year in L.A. He was flipped to the Pelicans as part of the club's package to acquire Davis that summer. At the time, the move worked — Los Angeles went on to win that very next season, behind a defensive-oriented club that made the most out of James and Davis. The Lakers have cycled through two head coaches and dozens of teammates since then.

To acquire Ingram, Pelinka will probably need to sacrifice both of his team's two tradeable impending first round draft picks. Things could get a bit sticky when it comes to veteran contracts. The Pelicans need some playmaking guard help, so starting L.A. point guard D'Angelo Russell could actually be an appealing option. But Russell on his own is not going to be enough in a deal for the $36.1 million contract of Ingram. The Lakers will understandably look to offload starting power forward Rui Hachimura's contract, which financially would make sense, but New Orleans will most likely seek to acquire starting Los Angeles shooting guard Austin Reaves' below-market, long-term deal. Perhaps adding a future pick swap could sweeten the pot and convince Pelicans team president David Griffin to accept Hachimura instead of Reaves.

Last year, Ingram averaged 20.8 points on .492/.355/.801 shooting splits, 5.7 assists and 5.1 rebounds a night. Though he's not much of a defender, his abilities as a ball handler and three-level scorer would be a welcome addition to a team starving for another versatile scoring option beyond James. He's not perfect, and the Lakers would probably need to add some perimeter defense somehow — but if the team can keep Reaves, L.A. can either keep starting him at shooting guard and promote backup guard Gabe Vincent or shift him to the point and elevate someone like Max Christie.

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