Mock trade sends Brandon Ingram from New Orleans to Houston
By Matt Alquiza
Brandon Ingram trade rumors are so hot right now. Between David Griffin's pointed comments about change, and NBA insiders detailing his availability, Brandon Ingram is currently wearing the crown of "king of the trade machine."
Last week, Pelican Debrief detailed five potential trade partners New Orleans could dance with this summer for either Ingram or CJ McCollum, who's availability in the trade market has also been widely reported. The Houston Rockets were not on that list. According to Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report, omitting the Rockets may have been a mistake.
Buckley pitched a trade package for Ingram that would see Dillon Brooks, Tari Eason, Cam Whitmore and the No. 3 pick in this year's draft coming back to New Orleans. Here's a snippet of Buckley's analysis.
"...so, why not bringing in Ingram? He might not be a tier-one star—and also doesn't carry a tier-one-star price tag—but he has been a nightly supplier of 23.1 points, 5.2 assists and 1.8 three-pointers for five years running. Not to mention a 47.2/37.2/84.7 shooter over this stretch. For context, those numbers would have made him Houston's highest scorer and second-best distributor while tying him for third in volume perimeter shooting...
- Zach Buckley - B/R
...New Orleans, meanwhile, seems unconvinced that Ingram is the ideal co-star for Zion Williamson—or at least not worth the money on his next deal. And while the Pels could be in the market for more immediate assistance than some of these incoming pieces would provide, they could also combine some of these trade chips with their own to get Williamson an optimal fit for his running mate.
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If I'm the Pelicans, this is an easy yes. Dillon Brooks brings an edge that New Orleans has sorely missed He's a mercurial figure, but a winning player in my opinion. Good luck to any bench back court that would have to play minutes against Brooks and Alvarado.
Eason and Whitmore are two ascendant forwards that could play big minutes at the four in small ball lineups with Zion manning the paint. In other scenarios, they could spell Zion and slot in nicely with a traditional big. The number three overall pick would give the Pelicans ammo in a trade or another shot at a high upside player to add to a young, talented, and hungry roster.
Count me in for this deal, Zach.