Brandon Ingram Trade Speculation | From Pelicans to Hawks
as we get closer to the NBA off season one name that’s going to get attention is New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram despite going 49 and 33 this season the team’s best record since 2008 2009 the Pelicans still ended up entering the playoffs as the eigh seed in the west and got swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round a major reason the team lost so badly was because they were missing their leading scores Zion Williamson due to injury in the series but that’s no excuse for Ingram with Williamson out Ingram was expected to lead the way on offense but instead he played some of the worst basketball he’s played in years when it mattered most and due to his contract situation the Pelicans are going to need to make some decisions about whether or not they see Brandon Ingram as a championship building block in the near future Brandon Ingram only has one year remaining on his current deal and is eligible to sign a Max extension as early as this off season putting some pressure on the pals in order to make their decision Pelican management will take a large amount of factors into consideration the first one being is this team close to a championship Contender as it currently stands if Zion was healthy could New Orleans have fared better against the Thunder the truth is even if they had Williamson the Pelicans would have still likely been outscored by the Thunder New Orleans is just one of the better defensive teams in the league but stylistically they lack the three-point shooting in their starting lineup to score with the best teams in the league could they be better next season with the same roster possibly Zion is only 23 years old so his Improvement alone could help the Pelicans and they have some promising young players on the team as well Trey Murphy herb Jones and Jordan Hawkins all have a lot of potential as two-way scorers but that actually gives more reason why they would be inclined to trade Brandon Ingram three-point shooting is more vital than ever when building a championship Contender it’s no coincidence that the two teams in the finals the Celtics and the Mavericks led the NBA in three-pointers made this season it’s not like Ingram isn’t capable of shooting from distance a few seasons back Ingram seemed to be developing into a lethal score from all over the floor but for whatever reason he’s decided that he doesn’t want to commit to shooting the three ball a skill that they need desperately to spread the floor around Zion in 2019 2020 Ingram took a career-high 6.2 threp pointers per game and shot them at over 39% it seemed like he was developing into an elite floor spacer but since then he’s focused on scoring closer to the basket this year Ingram took less than four three-pointers per game less than 24% of his shots came from Deep while he took more shots from 10 to 16 ft than he ever has before in his career these are some of the reasons why his scoring numbers dropped to only 20 .8 points per game his lowest total in the last 5 years it’s not an encouraging sign for a guy that should be reaching his Prime at age 26 the scoring reduction isn’t necessarily because he’s getting worse but likely has a lot to do with the fact that Zion was healthy for most of the season but that doesn’t change the fact that his game just isn’t an ideal fit around Zion both players like to use their size to score from inside the arc and are above average passers for interior players it might just make more sense for the Pelicans to get a player that they think would be a better fit besides Zion than pay Ingram the max deal Trey Murphy came off the bench for most of the season but still hit more than double as many three-pointers per game as Ingram did it could really benefit New Orleans to give extra minutes to Murphy but it’ll be tough to do so with Ingram locked into the starting lineup herb Jones shot less threes than Ingram but actually drained a much higher percentage of the shots he took he’s is also an elite Defender and a major part of the Pelican’s identity with Murphy Jones and Zion in the starting lineup there really would be no room for Ingram and it could be argued that the lineup would mesh together more naturally alongside CJ McCollum yonas valent chunis the team starting center likely won’t be coming back and that’ll open up cap space for New Orleans too if the team could upgrade its Center and potentially add a scoring guard to the roster could reconfigure them into a team that can compete in the west this season and and moving forward so that raises the question if the Pelicans do trade Ingram where would he be a good fit one team that could be interested in him is the Atlanta Hawks in some ways their team is in a similar conundrum as the Pelicans just in another position the Hawks have two guards Deon Murray and Trey young who just don’t play well beside each other and either could be an interesting fit on the Pelicans Trey young would have a bigger contract but with Ven chunis and Ingram off the books the Pelicans could afford to take him on he’d be an instant downgrade to their defense but has some of the best offensive skills in the game some players don’t like playing with him because he’s extremely ball dominant but he does have Elite skills in the pick and roll a Zion Trey young young tandem could be a forceful pair in the NBA for years to come and a backcourt Duo of young and McCullum would be pretty fun to watch too shades of McCullum and Lillard but with more Talent surrounding them and if the Hawks decide to keep young and trade jonte Murray he’d be an interesting fit in New Orleans as well he’s less ball dominant but would fit in with the team’s defensive identity Marie’s defense has been criticized since he joined the Hawks but during his time with the Spurs he was considered one of the best defensive guards in the league and he could rekindle that form with a long and defensive-minded Pelicans Team part of the issue for the Pelicans right now is there are a handful of wing scores available in free agency that teams can bid for without having to to trade assets guys like Demar D rozan and Paul George are both currently not under Team contract and it would be tough to argue that Ingram would be the best option of the three for a team looking to win immediately but that likely wouldn’t be a factor for the Hawks after missing the playoffs and winning the draft lottery they’re likely going to embrace a rebuild and a 26-year-old Ingram who still has some upside might be a better fit if he signed a Max contract with him and committed to the system through the prime of his career here while it’s easy to be critical of Brandon Ingram after his poor playoff performance against the Thunder let’s not forget that he’s a rare type of player that has the ability to make an impact on both sides of the floor at 6’8 Ingram is incredibly smooth has high-end ball handling abilities and can create his own jump shot he’s also got the wingspan and tenacity to contest shots on defense he’s switchable versatile and is an Ever improving playmaker maybe a change of sceneries exactly what this guy needs to regain his Allstar form but what do you guys think will Brandon Ingram get traded this offseason and if he does where will he go let us know in the comments section and please don’t forget to subscribe to our channel for more sports news and insights thanks for watching and see you next time [Music]
Let’s dive into the reasons why the New Orleans Pelicans might trade star forward Brandon Ingram to the Atlanta Hawks this offseason. Despite Ingram’s potential and past performances, his fit with a fully healthy team, especially alongside Zion Williamson, raises questions about his role. This video explores Brandon Ingram’s situation, including his contract, his playoff performances, and how shifting NBA strategies towards three-point shooting might influence the Pelicans’ decision.
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