Lakers former No. 2 pick Brandon Ingram (middle)
The Lakers head into the 2024 NBA offseason already mired in change, having dumped coach Darvin Ham after a mere two seasons, and facing a major decision on the part of potential free agent LeBron James. More change is coming, after a disappointing first-round exit against the defending champion Nuggets in just five games.
Fortunately for L.A., they have the contracts and the assets to make some moves and reconfigure the roster. One of the goals is to take some scoring burden off James, who spent his 21st NBA season averaging 25.7 points in 71 games and taking 17.9 shots per game. That’s the fewest of his career, but still too many for a 39-year-old forward.
The Lakers got some of that from Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell, but both struggled with consistency, and the team might well be looking to consolidate their scoring roles into a third player behind James and Anthony Davis.
One of the names being floated around the league is, coincidentally, Brandon Ingram, James’ former Lakers teammate who was one of the players included in the massive package that brought Davis to L.A. in 2019. Ingram is with the Pelicans, who are said be willing to move him rather than ink him to an extension.
Ingram back to the Lakers? “It’s an idea, if they’re willing to take the chance,” one East GM said. “Brandon as a third option with LeBron and Anthony Davis, it certainly makes them better, it gets them back to being a contender, or at least in that orbit.
