The New Orleans Pelicans and Miami Heat are two teams that desperately need to make some moves this offseason.
Miami failed to make it to the second round of the playoffs after getting to the Finals one year earlier; New Orleans is in a state of upheaval, with Zion Williamson’s family leaking all sorts of negative stuff in hopes of getting him out of there.
A potential trade between these two teams could solve both their problems.
And in the case of the Heat, at least, the front office is already in the process of working to make something happen.
According to NBA insider Ethan Skolnick, Brandon Ingram to the Heat could be a viable option.
“A potential Heat target in trade this offseason would be one Brandon Ingram, who recently signed a contract extension, last year’s Most Improved Player and a player who had issues with Stan [Van Gundy], and also I have heard doesn’t feel he’s a long-term fit with Zion [Williamson],” Skolnick said.
“I’ve heard this from a couple of different people. Not that there’s a personality conflict, but it’s just not the best possible fit.”
Obviously the first issue Ingram reportedly had with New Orleans is already resolved. Van Gundy is out, and the Pelicans are on the verge of hiring the first female NBA coach in league history to replace him with.
The second issue might also resolve itself, given all the chatter about Williamson wanting out.
Yikes Adrien Broner https://t.co/6PvzjfA3yH
— Game 7 (@game7__) June 14, 2021
But if it doesn’t – Ingram might need to be the piece to go. And Miami would be as good of a landing spot as any.
This past season Ingram averaged 23.8 points per game while hitting 38.1 percent of his threes. In addition, he recorded nearly five assists per outing – proving himself to be a very good ball-handler in the process.
If New Orleans truly needs to let one of either Williamson or Ingram walk, the latter is obviously the way to go. And should that happen, the Heat will no doubt provide a suitable package to make it happen.
Related: Luka Doncic Mocked, Taunted Rick Carlisle During Mavericks Games
Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.
