Sixers Said to Be a Possible $158 Million Star Suitor: Report
The Philadelphia 76ers are expected to participate in the free agent pool. They may, however, resort to the trade market if none of their free agency targets end up available. The star of the New Orleans Pelicans, Brandon Ingram, is one possibility.
The Sixers are one of the teams that might try to sign Ingram, according to NBA Insider Marc Stein.
In NBA article published on March 12, Stein stated, “A few Eastern Conference teams (Philadelphia, Cleveland, Atlanta, and Orlando) have already been mentioned as potential trade suitors for Ingram.”
Stein stated that an Ingram deal seems likely, regardless of whether the Sixers acquire him.
Following the Thunder’s first-round sweep, “Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin has all but promised that New Orleans will be active in the marketplace, and league sources say that various league observers are increasingly viewing Ingram’s exit as an inevitability rather than a possibility.”
Ingram joined an All-Star team in 2020 after entering the NBA in 2016. But with him, the Pelicans have only performed well enough to qualify for the playoffs twice. Their lack of growth over the past five years under his leadership may cause a significant upheaval.
The Sixers might be able to give the Pelicans cap flexibility and draft picks, but New Orleans might demand more.
Sixers Are Pressed to Get Brandon Ingram
After Michael Scotto of Bleacher Report reported that Ingram is “the most likely played to be traded” from New Orleans, Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report discussed the Sixers’ attraction to him.
Knox stated in a piece published on May 12 that “Ingram is only 26, and while he isn’t currently on (Paul) George’s level, he would still add some offensive potency to Philadelphia’s lineup.” “Ingram didn’t play well in New Orleans’ disappointing postseason campaign, but in the regular season he averaged 22.6 points on 47.1 percent shooting from the field and 41.3 percent from three-point range.
Even if he hasn’t been an All-Star since the 2019–20 campaign, Ingram, Embiid, and Maxey would still be a fantastic trio. He might also be more valuable in the long run than George given his age.
Knox also mentioned the price the Sixers would have to pay to acquire Ingram.
Of course, trade capital would be needed to purchase Ingram. The Sixers still own some assets from the deal of James Harden, though. Additionally, Ingram might be a more plausible trade target than Jimmy Butler because New Orleans is prepared to let him go.
The Sixers would have to decide what to do with the remainder of their roster if they traded for Ingram using their cap flexibility.
Sixers Had Brandon Ingram in the Draft
The Sixers had the top choice in the 2016 NBA Draft back in 2016. Ben Simmons and Ingram were regarded as the top players selected in the draft at the time.
Despite his lack of success in college, Simmons attracted more attention than Ingram. He was chosen by the Sixers with the first overall pick, and Ingram was chosen by the Los Angeles Lakers with the second pick.
Given what has transpired with Simmons, the Sixers might have been better served by selecting Ingram in retrospect. However, a number of players who were selected after them have maybe performed better. These athletes are Domantas Sabonis, Pascal Siakam, Jaylen Brown, and Jamal Murray.
But many thought only Simmons and Ingram had All-Star talent at the moment.
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