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In their effort to shore up the roster ahead of the 2024-25 season, the Warriors engaged the Jazz in talks for Lauri Markkanen, per reports. But two other All-Stars available in the trade market — Zach LaVine and Brandon Ingram — have not piqued the interest of Golden State, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
“They’ve shown no appetite to enter the Zach LaVine or Brandon Ingram market,” Charania wrote on August 6.
Both LaVine and Ingram saw their trade value plummet after the 2023-24 seasons. While LaVine played just 25 games due to a foot injury, Ingram had a forgettable playoff run for the Pelicans in a first-round matchup against OKC Thunder. In the four-game sweep, Ingram averaged 14.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting a paltry 34 percent from the field and 25 percent from the three-point arc. Those numbers were significantly down from Ingram’s regular-season averages of 20.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.7 assists at a respectable 49 percent shooting from the field.
That disparity in regular-season and postseason numbers led some to question Ingram’s intangibles and ability to play in pressure moments. However, Kendrick Perkins suggested that Ingram could rejuvenate his career in a Warriors uniform.
Should the Warriors Trade for Ingram?
“I would like to see Brandon Ingram [to the Warriors] because we know that the Pelicans are listening to offers,” Perkins said on the July 17 episode of “NBA Today” on ESPN. “Go to the Golden State Warriors. I think Brandon Ingram alongside Draymond Green and Steph Curry not only would do wonders for him, but that would do wonders for the Golden State Warriors.”
Perkins went as far as to predict that Ingram would put the Warriors “back in the thick of things” in a loaded Western Conference that includes powerhouses such as the Nuggets, Mavericks, Thunder, Timberwolves and other up-and-coming teams.
“This is a young man that has proven that he can go out there and average 25 a night. He’s a bucket-getter,” Perkins said of Ingram. “He plays the most important position [the wing] in the game. And putting him alongside Steph Curry and Draymond Green would actually put the Warriors back in the thick of things in the Western Conference.”
LaVine Looking Agile in Workouts
On August 4, a video went viral on social media showing LaVine and other NBA stars such as Heat’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. working out together. In the video, LaVine looked like his pre-injury self, moving around the court quickly and draining threes effortlessly.
The video sparked a debate on whether an injury-free LaVine would reclaim his All-Star status with an improved campaign in 2024-25.
Despite LaVine’s impressive offseason workout videos, the marriage between him and the Bulls was still uncertain as of August 6. In an ESPN report published on July 30, an anonymous Bulls source questioned LaVine’s winning intangibles.
“He’s never won, he’s done it his way the whole way and never won,” a Bulls source told ESPN. “If he’s interested in winning, he’ll do what’s asked of him. And if he’s motivated to not be here, one way is to come, be compliant and be who he is.”
The Warriors have 14 players under contract entering the 2024-25 season. However, the roster could still look different closer to training camp. According to The Athletic, the Warriors continue to seek “smaller-scale deals” to shore up the roster after striking out in their pursuit of Markannen and not showing interest in Ingram or LaVine.
The report added that the Warriors felt “comfortable entering training camp and the regular season as currently constructed” as of August 6.
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