Count Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram among the star players the Warriors have checked in on, league sources tell Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
While it doesn’t sound like Ingram is at the top of Golden State’s wish list as the front office seeks an impact player, the club has explored what it would take to land the former All-Star, according to Stein and Fischer, who say that the Warriors could pivot to Ingram if they’re not able to gain traction on any of their higher-profile targets.
One of those higher-profile targets is Suns forward Kevin Durant. Exploring the possibility of a Warriors trade for Durant, Stein and Fischer echo a point made by Anthony Slater of The Athletic, writing that even if Phoenix is willing to move the former MVP (a big if), there’s a “measure of concern” in Golden State about how eager Durant would be for another go-round with the Warriors.
Durant doesn’t have the ability to veto a trade, but given that the Warriors would have to put together a substantial package to convince the Suns to part with him, they’d presumably like to be confident that he wanted to be there.
Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA, with this year’s deadline just two days away:
- There’s still an expectation that the Hawks will make a deal involving Bogdan Bogdanovic this week, according to Stein and Fischer, who say that Atlanta continues for now to explore “more ambitious” trade scenarios, including one possibility that would feature Ingram.
- The Bucks continue to consider trades involving Pat Connaughton and his $9.4MM salary, either to shed his contract to duck below the second tax apron or to use his deal as a matching piece to bring back a more reliable wing. Stein and Fischer hear from sources that Sixers forward Caleb Martin and his twin brother Cody Martin of the Hornets are among the players Milwaukee has looked at in a potential deal for Connaughton. Both players are earning about $8.1MM this season.
- Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca takes an in-depth look at the Raptors‘ trade options in the coming days, examining what it would take to get them to part with Jakob Poeltl, whether their reported interest in Ingram is legit, and why players like Bogdanovic and Andrew Wiggins may not fit the timeline of Toronto’s roster.
- Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report (Twitter links) shares some details on how the Kings and Bulls completed the three-team trade involving De’Aaron Fox and Zach LaVine. Chicago took Kevin Huerter into an existing traded player exception, creating a new $17.1MM TPE for LaVine, while Sacramento used a portion of an existing TPE to take on Sidy Cissoko, generating a new exception worth $16.8MM (Huerter’s outgoing salary). The Kings were unable to acquire LaVine and Cissoko by aggregating the outgoing salaries of Fox and Jordan McLaughlin because LaVine received a portion ($3MM) of his trade bonus, increasing his cap hits for this season and next season by $1.5MM apiece.
I have been screaming since 2020 “I want KD back!”
But even I knew that was a pipe dream, next to impossible…
Until now…
Don’t count on Ingram coming to the warriors. He said he never wants to play for Kerr after the olympic team benching.
As have many stars and even guys like Harrison Barnes. KD has played here though, he might be ok with it.
My DREAM scenario: GSW fires Kerr tomorrow, gets literally anyone else to replace him, and then the floodgates open and every star wants to play with Steph now.
When did Harrison Barnes say he wouldn’t play for Steve Kerr?
The Warriors trading for Ingram would be a very risky proposition.
The backstory is that the Warriors would never give a contract extension to this player. A trade here would simply be a rental to try to get something going in this year‘s playoffs. That’s it.
The risk is that when the Warriors would do the sign and trade thing this summer and use Ingram‘s big money slot to bring in another star, I don’t think there’s a market out there for Ingram. The Warriors would be stuck with no takers and he would walk for nothing.
This wouldn’t be similar to the Kevin Durant scenario where they could almost name their price, like they did a few years ago. Bring back a high dollar guy plus get a first round pick. That was sweet. Won’t be so sweet this summer when you’re dangling Ingram to the world.
Agreed Gary, the step down from KD = Wiggins is to, Ingram = Alec Burks? That said, the market was limited to Wiggins, not many teams wanted to help the Warriors after those 3 years, lol
Like Wiggins, Ingram works better as a bigger piece for Giannis though. Add Moody and Kuminga and picks and suddenly that’s a nice package that has the Bucks thinking.
I don’t see how anyone could get excited about KD coming back to the Bay. He made it clear he doesn’t want to play in a philosophy that brought him two rings. The Nets and Suns have been disasters. Didn’t both teams get sold. It cost the Warriors 2(two) “true centers” and Harrison Barnes. All we have left is Wiggins. I doubt he has learned his lesson. Time to move on to the next generation.
Up Next: Warriors will check on Ohtani.
That would be quite the gamble. I would bet against it….
Bruce Brown,Olynyk and a 2026 first for Ingram.
Quickley for Coby White and Lonzo.
If GSW lands KD I will be the happiest dude on earth!!!
Relax Davey. Don’t glaze your donut just yet.
Panthers… just querying if you were a raptors fan? The first deal seems okish..but the second one is not okish whatsoever haha
@Gary – The KD expiring contract had zero value for GSW in the summer of 2019, since BKN had the cap space to sign KD outright. The GSW did well for themselves, but only by trading two FRPs to put a S&T for DiLo in place with BKN. GSW’s great move was in finding a greater fool in MIN to take DiLo for Wiggins and the MIN 1st.
GSW would likely have better luck with a Butler expiring deal. Most likely FA destinations for Butler won’t have cap space (like BKN did). Of course, fewer teams can do S&T’s today. Today, an “opt in” and trade is more likely, which is why I wouldn’t have much issue with Butler’s contract as long as he’s happy, and it doesn’t go beyond the summer of 2027 (which was all he was requesting from MIA). The odds of finding a sucker like MIN in a later trade is about the same as it was.
Makes sense, thank you.
So if I read this correctly, you’re saying that whether it’s Kevin Durant or Brandon Ingram, if you add in 2 first round pics, there’s plenty of teams willing to help you out to keep that salary slot in house somehow.
Yep I get it now. Thanks again.