(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Small forward Brandon Ingram is a proven NBA commodity who is widely rumored to be departing New Orleans in search of a lucrative contract.
His five successful years on the Bayou followed three with the Lakers, and he has scored in double figures in every season but his first.
And the last five with the Pelicans produced over 20 points per game, including 20.8 in 2023-24.
According to NBA insider Jake L. Fischer via Yahoo Sports, the Cavaliers are among the top teams mentioned by league personnel as being in pursuit of Ingram.
He cautioned, however, that “there’s no straightforward path to making such a deal work.”
The Cavaliers continue to be mentioned by league personnel as a possible suitor for Brandon Ingram, per @JakeLFischer.
“But there’s no straightforward path to making such a deal work. … Cavs personnel have maintained a reticence to breaking up the team’s core four of Donovan… pic.twitter.com/Eup22A7u8X
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 28, 2024
Fischer acknowledged that Cleveland is quite hesitant to dismantle its core of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
The team obviously felt it improved its lineup with the addition of Jayson Tyson in this year’s draft, but there is still substantial work to be done to realistically expect a deep playoff run.
If the Pelicans seek a trade with the Cavaliers, it may prove difficult to pry any of the team’s core four loose.
Fischer believes that Allen is the most attractive trade prospect for New Orleans if they choose not to sign Ingram to an extension.
While he has certainly earned what is coming, the Pelicans anticipate his contract pushing them into the luxury tax.
The team has never faced this financial territory and is obviously reluctant to step into it.
As for Cleveland, it is easy to see Ingram’s scoring playing well with Mitchell.
The post Cavs Continue To Be Linked To Pelicans Star This Offseason appeared first on The Cold Wire.