Of all the potential scenarios for the Golden State Warriors this offseason, one that appears to be almost certainly off the table is a simple run-it-back kind of situation, in which the Dubs look at what went down last year and simply bring back the same roster, with minor tweaks. They could re-sign guard Klay Thompson, decide not to guarantee Chris Paul’s contract, but later re-sign him, and rely on the promising young players who got a chance last year to improve the team next season.
The Warriors did, after all, finish 27-12 after getting off to a 19-24 start to the season.
But a move to add a star player is the more likely outcome for the Warriors, a transaction that could push them over the top. One of the best players expected to his the NBA trade market this summer—Pelicans star Brandon Ingram—might well be the right fit.
At Bleacher Report on a livestream looking at Ingram’s future, the Warriors were listed as one of the Pelicans’ top potential trade partners, listing Golden State with the Hawks, Sixers, Cavaliers and Pistons.
Warriors Would Be a Good Fit
No doubt, Ingram is a player with star ability, who has put up one All-Star season, in his first season with the Pelicans back in 2019-20, when he was one of the main pieces the Lakers traded to New Orleans for Anthony Davis.
He makes sense as a fit with the Warriors, a scorer with size who could be available on the cheap.
“For what they’re going to be looking for, he is the kind of guy they will be in the market for, because he is a player who can score but is a little bit damaged goods and maybe the price is lower than it ought to be,” one Western Conference executive told Heavy Sports. “But you know, you keep him healthy, you’re careful with him, and he can carry you through. He is still young (Ingram is 26) and that is absolutely what they want.
“He is a wildcard. But we saw him, he played 30 minutes against Washington and put up 40 points. He did that twice (also against Toronto). When he is right, he is a devastating scorer.”
Brandon Ingram Has Struggled to Stay Healthy
Indeed, Ingram has struggled to stay healthy. In the past four seasons, he has missed nearly 30% of the Pelicans’ games (225 out of 318 games).
But he is 6-foot-8 with a strong midrange game and a decent enough perimeter shot. He averaged 20.8 points last season, and shot 49.2% from the field, 35.5% from the 3-point line.
The difficult part would be lining up a trade that makes sense both for the Pelicans and the Warriors. The Pelicans do not have much leverage because of Ingram’s struggle to stay healthy and because Ingram is due a contract extension worth up to $208 million over four years.
The Warriors probably would not want to give up more than Paul, guard Moses Moody and perhaps a future draft pick for Ingram. That’s a light package for the Pelicans, but they might struggle to get much more than that.
Last month, veteran NBA writer Marc Stein reported that there is, “a growing belief leaguewide that Pelicans will aggressively explore the trade market for Brandon Ingram before next season.” Stein cited the Cavs, Sixers, Hawks and Magic as potential destinations.
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