New Orleans is once again at the bottom of the hole this year, and yet another reconstruction is fast approaching. A flagship player in the workforce would thus be coveted by a heavyweight in the East! It remains to be seen who would be sent to the Bayou in return in this not so obvious hypothesis …
One can seriously begin to wonder if the Pelicans will ever get out of their slump. Each season is like the last, based on mediocrity and disappointing results. 2021-22 is no exception to the rule, since NOLA is in 14th position in the Western Conference (12 wins for 22 losses). However, it’s not as if their setbacks only concerned the field …
Indeed, the Bayou players must in addition deal with the permanent drama around Zion Williamson. The No.1 draft interior of 2019 is supposed to be the future of the franchise, but he’d already have to play for it. However, his physical concerns and in particular his foot injury have so far prevented him from playing any game of the current year. Add to this the controversy around his weight and rumors of longing to leave, and it sounds like a nightmare for executives.
The Hot Sixers on the Brandon Ingram record
In the meantime, difficult to see him leave Louisiana in the short term, his team still hoping that he can revive. On the other hand, the future is less certain for other elements of the roster, and in particular Brandon Ingram. The winger is courted by a lot of people, especially the Sixers according to ESPN. The insider Kevin Pelton also believes that it would be possible to set up a swap between him and a problematic case in Pennsylvania:
Ben Simmons and Ingram have been linked since they were the top two picks in the 2016 Draft. From a Philadelphia perspective, Ingram might be one of the best talent available in the market right now, but his skill set looks a lot like to what Tobias Harris provides on the wings of the Sixers.
By recovering the Australian, New Orleans would immediately obtain a true distributor of play coupled with an excellent defender. A profile like Lonzo Ball that they sorely miss, since the latter’s departure for Chicago last summer. On the other hand, we cannot say that the controversies would cease with his arrival, on the contrary! This is not the only problematic point in this case, however.
As Pelton points out, BI’s playstyle is very similar to that of Tobias Harris, so the risk of the two stepping on each other is quite high. Philadelphia seeking to get closer to the Top 5 of its conference (17-16, 5ᵉ), such a move during the season is not necessarily the most wise … unless you set up a trade sending Harris into the Big Easy. The opportunity to recover a player certainly similar, but younger.
Brandon Ingram versus Ben Simmons or Tobias Harris, that would be the current situation between Philadelphia and the Pelicans. Not sure that an exchange like this is a winner for anyone, but it would at least allow the Sixers to end the soap opera around the Australian.
