Brandon Ingram is not a “realistic” trade option for Ben Simmons

The New Orleans Pelicans are at the bottom of the Western Conference even though Brandon Ingram is playing at a high level.

Ingram has been particularly good lately, averaging over 27 points with seven assists and five rebounds per game over his last five.

So it’s not surprising that we are starting to hear his name in trade rumors again even though there has never been an inkling of indication that the New Orleans Pelicans are interested in moving him.

One rumor that just won’t die is the Brandon Ingram for Ben Simmons trade, which was mentioned as a “realistic option” in a recent article by ESPN.

This is one I really wish would go away, as it makes no sense for either team, especially the Pelicans.

The Pelicans should have no interest in a Brandon Ingram/Ben Simmons trade

There are so many reasons this would be a bad idea for the Pelicans, starting with the fact that Ingram is a better player on a better contract. You can argue that Simmons is better considering he is an All-NBA and All-Defense level player, but Ingram is the far superior scorer. Even if Simmons is better, it’s not by much and certainly not enough to move the needle for the Pels.

Let me ask: If you swapped the two this season would the Pelicans be any better than they are right now? Their offense is already 27th in the NBA, so my answer would be no.

Some people think Brandon Ingram is not a great fit with Zion Williamson because BI likes to work in the mid-range and doesn’t space the floor enough with his shooting. Well, how about a guy who  doesn’t shoot at all?

The Pelicans might grab a lot of offensive rebounds and have some highlight-reel dunks in transition with a Simmons/Zion pairing but the half court offense would be a disaster unless every other guy on the floor was a plus 3-point shooter.

There’s also the pesky fact that Simmons is currently refusing to play because he wants to be the focal point of the offense, which he definitely won’t be if he’s on a team with Zion Williamson.

The Pelicans are already getting enough negative attention over the Zion injury saga, so why in the world would they want to add another media headache in Ben Simmons, who is the only guy in the league other than Kyrie Irving whose gotten more negative headlines than Zion?

It makes no sense for the 76ers either, as Brandon Ingram pretty much does all of the same things as Tobias Harris, though I am sure they would do it if the Pelicans were stupid enough to take the Ben Simmons’ drama off their hands.

I understand why Brandon Ingram gets mentioned in these rumors and I do like Simmons as a player, but it would be a steep price to pay for a guy who isn’t a clear fit and hasn’t even played this season.