Brandon Ingram – New Orleans Pelicans

Needing an All-Star-level player, there may not be a better talent available for the Spurs at the trade deadline this year than Brandon Ingram. While the Pelicans’ forward has not requested a trade from New Orleans, he could be starting to think about his long-term future in New Orleans. 

At 3-16 on the year, the Pelicans are in no shape to be a playoff contender and while the Spurs are in a similar boat, they at least have the pieces in place to be successful. If he were to want out of his current situation, it is hard to believe that Ingram would want to go to San Antonio, but this may not be a terrible place for him. 

Given his length and scoring abilities, Brandon Ingram could continue to grow into one of the better two-way players in the league and with them not having a leader, Ingram could be “the guy” in San Antonio instead of being someone else’s “sidekick” somewhere else. 

Pairing Brandon Ingram with Dejounte Murray and Keldon Johnson could give the Spurs the makings of a young “Big 3” and a group of athletic talents that could take them back to the playoffs in a new era of San Antonio basketball. 

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There is no denying that the Spurs are an attractive destination for players around the league, but they need to be able to prove that they can win games now and in the future. By going out and getting Brandon Ingram, they would be signaling this to the rest of the league and quite honestly, they may be able to sneak into the play-in tournament this year if they added Ingram at the midway point. 

Giving up Derrick White, Thaddeus Young, Tre Jones and some draft compensation for Brandon Ingram could be enough to convince the Pelicans to trade their All-Star wing. 

Verdict: Pursue