Brandon Ingram Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Lakers Sign Brandon Ingram

August 23rd, 2016 at 12:15pm CST by Luke Adams

12:15pm: The Lakers have made it official, announcing in a press release that they’ve formally signed Ingram to his rookie contract.

8:31am: Heading into Tuesday, 29 of 30 first-rounders from the 2016 draft have either signed their NBA contracts or elected to play overseas for the coming season. Number two overall pick Brandon Ingram will make it 30 out of 30 later today, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical, who reports (via Twitter) that the Lakers are poised to sign their rookie forward.

[RELATED: 2016 Draft Pick Signings]

The Lakers will sign Ingram exactly two months after he was drafted, having waited this long because it gave the team a little extra flexibility. While the odds of packaging the No. 2 overall pick in a trade for a star were slim, keeping Ingram unsigned allowed the club to move him such a deal — once he signs his rookie contract, the former Duke standout can’t be traded for a month.

The delay also gave the Lakers the opportunity to make the most of their leftover cap room. Ingram’s cap hold of $4,401,400 has been on Los Angeles’ books for the last couple months, but that number will increase to $5,281,680 once he officially signs his deal, since he’ll get the maximum allowable 120% of his rookie-scale amount.

The difference between those two figures only works out to about $880K, but there was no reason for L.A. to give up that extra flexibility early. That flexibility appears to have allowed the Lakers to max out their cap room with deals for Yi Jianlian and Zach Auguste this week, though we haven’t yet seen the official numbers on those contracts.

Ingram, who will turn 19 next month, averaged 17.3 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.4 BPG, and 1.1 SPG while shooting 41.0% from three-point range during his first and only college season. He was viewed as the consensus No. 2 prospect in this year’s draft behind first overall pick Ben Simmons.

Lakers Notes: Free Agents, Young, Mozgov, Ingram

August 17th, 2016 at 5:15pm CST by Arthur Hill

Six players with NBA experience participated in the Lakers’ free agent mini-camp today, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. Attending the camp were Xavier Henry, Jeff Ayres, P.J. Hairston, Johnny O’Bryant, Orlando Johnson and Travis Wear. A swingman, Henry played 43 games for the Lakers during 2013/14, but was waived after just nine games the following season. Ayres is a six-year veteran center/power forward who played 16 games with the Clippers last season. Hairston, a swingman, has been in the league two years with the Hornets and Grizzlies. A power forward with two years of NBA experience, O’Bryant played 66 games for the Bucks last season but was waived in June. Johnson, a shooting guard, has four years of NBA experience and had brief stops last season with the Suns and Pelicans. Wear, a small forward, was out of the league last season after playing 61 games for the Knicks in 2014/15. “What we’re looking at here are known players,” GM Mitch Kupchak said in a video on the team’s website. “We do have roster spots open in terms of our team, but also we have roster spots open in terms of training camp.”

There’s more out of Los Angeles today:

It’s unlikely that Nick Young will be on the Lakers’ roster when the season starts, states Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report. Young recently expressed a desire to end his dispute with D’Angelo Russell, but Ding doesn’t believe he’ll get that opportunity. In a video on the Bleacher Report website, he says the Lakers have been trying to trade Young for a long time and will likely waive him if they can’t find a taker. He has two seasons and more than $11MM left on his contract. The league deadline for teams to use the stretch provision is August 31st.
Timofey Mozgov was able to participate in a full practice with his Russian team today after an injury scare last week, reports Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Times. Mozgov, who joined the Lakers on a four-year, $64MM deal last month, suffered a groin injury Friday and was forced to miss two tournament games. The Lakers said he reported no more pain after undergoing an MRI Saturday and has no more restrictions.
The Lakers held off on signing first-round pick Brandon Ingram and free agent center Tarik Black so they would have cap room for deals like the one today with Yi Jianlian, Medina tweets.

And-Ones: Calderon, Davis, Sullinger

July 7th, 2016 at 12:58am CST by Eddie Scarito

Knicks big man Kyle O’Quinn says the team’s offseason moves should translate into a playoff berth in 2016/17, Marc Berman of The New York Post relays. “I’m excited about every year, but this year it looks so clear,’’ O’Quinn told Berman. “A lot of people will put us in there. It’ll be a different element in training camp instead of being a startup trying to shock the world. We made a lot of changes and it looks like the playoffs, but you got to put the work in.”

Here’s the latest from around the NBA:

The Bulls and Sixers had discussions about Philly acquiring Jose Calderon, but the two sides were unable to reach a deal and the point guard was traded to the Lakers instead, David Aldridge of NBA.com tweets.
Several teams are looking to clear cap room to make a run at Bucks restricted free agent Miles Plumlee, Aldridge tweets.
Unrestricted free agent Glen Davis, who sat out last season after undergoing surgery to repair torn ligaments, a cyst, and bone spurs in his left ankle, has resumed basketball activities and is looking to catch on with an NBA club, Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated tweets.
The Celtics face a tough decision regarding restricted free agent Jared Sullinger, with the team in need of his rebounding, but not in the position to match a large offer sheet by another team, were the big man to sign one this offseason, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com.
The Hawks are still actively trying to improve the team and are looking to add another frontcourt player and a point guard, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution notes. One big man option for Atlanta could be Kris Humphries, who expressed a desire to return during his exit interview with the team, Vivlamore adds.
Clippers guard C.J. Wilcox will have surgery to repair a broken right hand on Friday, the team announced. Wilcox was given a timeline of four-to-six weeks before he will be able to return to basketball-related activities, according to the team.
The Lakers are pleased with what they have seen in summer league play from 2016 lottery pick Brandon Ingram, Joey Ramirez of NBA.com writes. “I’m very excited about what he can do,” coach Luke Walton said. “Obviously he’s young and there’ s a lot of work to do. This is a grown man’s league. But as far as knowing how to play the game and the skill set of being able to handle the ball, bring it up, post up, his defense — he’s been all over the place defensively, getting deflections for us — I’m very excited about the way he’s played so far.”

Draft Rumors: Lakers, Ingram, Celtics, Bembry

June 22nd, 2016 at 11:14am CST by Luke Adams

With Ben Simmons having reportedly received a promise from the Sixers at No. 1, the Lakers know who will be on the board for them at No. 2, and barring a last-minute blockbuster trade offer, Los Angeles intends to select Duke’s Brandon Ingram with that pick, according to ESPN’s Chad Ford and Ramona Shelburne. The decision, which comes as no surprise, comes after the Lakers spent three hours meeting with new head coach Luke Walton on Tuesday night, per the ESPN.com report. The team did its homework on other top prospects, but this year’s class has always been viewed as having a consensus top two, so it would have been a huge upset if the Lakers had landed on anyone but Ingram.

Let’s check in on a few more draft rumors, notes, and updates around the league…

ESPN’s Marc Stein wrote last night that the Celtics‘ preference at No. 3 – assuming they keep the pick – has “emerged as one of the bigger mysteries of draft week.” Bill Simmons of The Ringer agrees, tweeting that the Suns (Marquese Chriss), Timberwolves (Kris Dunn), Pelicans (Jamal Murray), and Kings (Buddy Hield) all appear to have preferred targets, but Boston could throw a wrench into the top eight by selecting one of those players. Meanwhile, Brett Dawson of The Advocate cautions (via Twitter) that it’s not yet clear whether Murray is New Orleans’ top target.
The Hawks, Sixers, and Spurs – all of whom have picks in the 20-30 range tomorrow night – have done the most extensive research on former St. Joseph’s wing DeAndre’ Bembry, a source tells Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).
Rothstein adds (via Twitter) that two names he’s hearing on the Grizzlies‘ short list for the No. 17 pick are Wade Baldwin (Vanderbilt) and Malachi Richardson (Syracuse).
The Pacers have narrowed down their list of realistic targets for the No. 20 overall pick to eight prospects, and prioritizing versatility, writes Nate Taylor of The Indianapolis Star.
ESPN’s Chad Ford (Insider-only link) has revealed his final big board for the 2016 draft, which has Kris Dunn supplanting Jamal Murray at No. 3, and Marquese Chriss cracking the top five.
The NBA has announced 19 Green Room invitees for the 2016 draft, as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv details. The list of prospects who will be in attendance on Thursday night includes the usual suspects, such as Simmons and Ingram, but also features a handful of names further down on draft boards, including Timothe Luwawu, Malik Beasley, and Denzel Valentine.

Sixers Inform Ben Simmons He’ll Be No. 1 Pick

June 21st, 2016 at 11:28am CST by Luke Adams

The 76ers informed Ben Simmons‘ camp this morning that the LSU forward will be the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA draft, league sources tell Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com (Twitter link). Simmons worked out for Philadelphia today, his first workout for any team, and an earlier report from ESPN’s Marc Stein suggested that agent Rich Paul probably wouldn’t have allowed such a workout without a promise from the Sixers.

Simmons, widely considered the top prospect available – or at least one of the top two along with Duke’s Brandon Ingram – has long been viewed as the favorite to come off the board first overall. The Sixers have reportedly discussed Ingram and Providence point guard Kris Dunn at that spot, but keep coming back to Simmons, who likely has the highest upside of any player in this year’s class.

In addition to working out Simmons today, the Sixers are also privy to his medical records, and are believed to be the only team with access to those records, according to Keith Pompey of Philly.com (Twitter link).

Once the Sixers officially select Simmons, he’ll be the latest forward added to an increasingly crowded frontcourt in Philadelphia. With Joel Embiid aiming to return from injuries, Dario Saric potentially arriving from overseas this year, and Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel also in the mix, the team figures to explore trade options in order to clear its glut of bigs and acquire backcourt help.

As Pompey tweeted today, general manager Bryan Colangelo confirmed that the Sixers have had talks with virtually every NBA team, adding that they probably have “active discussions” with five to seven clubs. While Colangelo didn’t go into specific details, one of those teams is likely the Celtics — a report this week suggested that trade discussions between Boston and Philadelphia may be heating up, since the Sixers are very fond of Dunn and would like to acquire the No. 3 overall pick from the C’s.

Ford On Sixers, Lakers, J. Brown, Celtics

June 20th, 2016 at 8:54am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA world may still be recovering this morning from an incredible Game 7 in Oakland on Sunday night, but that recovery will have to happen fast — we’re only three days away from the 2016 NBA draft. As we quickly transition into the 2016 offseason, let’s round up a few of the highlights from Chad Ford’s latest mock draft at ESPN.com (Insider link), which features a handful of interesting draft tidbits…

The Sixers have had “vigorous internal debates” about the No. 1 pick, with Brandon Ingram and Kris Dunn – who would both be good fits on the roster – receiving consideration. But, as Ford writes, the team keeps coming back to the fact that Ben Simmons is the best prospect in the draft in terms of “sheer talent and upside.” Ford adds that head coach Brett Brown believes he could find a way to use Simmons as a point guard of sorts.
Although there has been some talk of the Lakers eyeing Marquese Chriss and Jaylen Brown at No. 2, Ford believes those prospects would only be in play for L.A. if the club acquired another lottery pick. Either Simmons or (more likely) Ingram figures to be the pick for the Lakers.
The Celtics have come up empty so far in their trade talks involving the No. 3 selection. That doesn’t mean Boston will definitely keep the pick, but the team doesn’t have a deal it likes for the time being. If they keep the pick, the Celtics may be leaning toward Brown, who had a “terrific” workout in Boston, says Ford.
The four players strongly in the mix for the Timberwolves at No. 5 are Brown, Kris Dunn, Jamal Murray, and Dragan Bender, according to Ford.
While the Kings are “praying” that Buddy Hield falls to No. 8, Ford says Domantas Sabonis could be a dark horse candidate for that spot, since Sacramento is very high on him.
We heard last week that Malachi Richardson may have received a promise from the Grizzlies at No. 17, and Ford’s mock draft does send Richardson to Memphis. However, the ESPN.com scribe notes that the Grizzlies are also very fond of Croatian big man Ivica Zubac, who could be in play for that slot.

Draft Updates: Lakers, Ingram, Grizzlies, Richardson

June 17th, 2016 at 8:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com published his latest mock draft at The Vertical, and included a handful of interesting tidbits within his player blurbs. According to Givony, the Lakers would have targeted Brandon Ingram at No. 1 if they had won the draft lottery, so Los Angeles is perfectly happy to take him if the Sixers take Ben Simmons, as expected. Givony also suggests that the Grizzlies are “enamored with” Syracuse wing Malachi Richardson, urging him to stop working out for teams and promising to select him at No. 17.

As we wait to see if Richardson does indeed end up in Memphis next week, let’s round up a few Friday draft-related items from across the NBA…

Spanish forward Juan Hernangomez spoke to Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype about his draft outlook, and suggested that he’d be thrilled if a team picked him with the intention of bringing him stateside immediately. “Of course I would like to go to the NBA next year,” Hernangomez said. “If I have the slightest chance of making it happen, I’m going to take that opportunity. Teams know I want to go. Some teams want me for right away, others would rather have me stay in Europe for a year. I’m not sure yet what’s going to happen.”
The Celtics have scheduled a Saturday pre-draft workout for Yogi Ferrell (Indiana), Cat Barber (N.C. State), and Gary Payton II (Oregon State), according to Michael Scott of Sheridan Hoops (via Twitter).
Former Kentucky guard Tyler Ulis, who worked out for Detroit today, said he has one last workout lined up with the 76ers, per Vincent Ellis of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter link).
ESPN’s Chad Ford spent more than an hour fielding and answering draft questions from the media on a conference call, and ESPN has provided the full transcript. If you can’t get enough draft discussion, be sure to check out the 14,000-word breakdown of that call.

Draft Notes: Sixers, Richardson, Cook, Forbes

June 15th, 2016 at 1:55pm CST by Luke Adams

As Sharon Katz and Paul Sabin of ESPN.com detail, ESPN Analytics’ projection model for draft prospects views Brandon Ingram as a safer pick than Ben Simmons. While the two players’ odds of developing into All-Stars are even, Simmons has a much higher bust potential than Ingram, according to the model. Jakob Poeltl, Deyonta Davis, Cheick Diallo, and Chinanu Onuaku are among the prospects viewed far more favorably by the ESPN Analytics model than by traditional scouts. This info won’t shake up teams’ big boards significantly, but it’s worth keeping in mind on draft night. Especially with Sixers GM Bryan Colangelo claiming that his team’s plan for the No. 1 pick “changes every day” (link via ESPN.com).

Here’s more on next Thursday’s draft:

ESPN’s Chad Ford (Insider-only link) has updated his top 100 rankings for this year’s draft now that 2016’s early entrant class has been finalized. Ford also broke down the first round and examined what a grade-A draft for each team would look like (Insider link).
Former Syracuse wing Malachi Richardson is taking part in workouts with the Bulls, Bucks, and Raptors this week, writes Mike Waters of Syracuse.com.
In addition to his previously reported workouts, Oregon’s Elgin Cook has gotten a look from the Hawks and Warriors, and still has workouts on tap with the Jazz, Mavericks, Kings, and Pistons, per Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
According to Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter link), Michigan State guard Bryn Forbes has also been busy in recent weeks, having worked out for the Celtics, Magic, Hawks, Bulls, Wizards, and Lakers in addition to four more teams that were previously reported. Forbes still has workouts with the Pistons and Spurs on his schedule.
French draft hopeful Boris Dallo has signed with Chris Patrick of Relativity Sports for representation as he looks to make the leap to the NBA, according to Sportando (Twitter link).

Sixers Rumors: Okafor, Ingram, Papagiannis, Saric

June 12th, 2016 at 9:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Sixers center Jahlil Okafor says he has recovered from the knee surgery that ended his season and he hopes to get back on the court soon, relays Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Okafor’s rookie campaign came to an end March 22nd when he underwent a procedure to fix the meniscus in his right knee. On a Duke University podcast Friday, the former Blue Devil said he was hoping doctors would approve him for basketball activity over the weekend. “I’m getting anxious,” Okafor told Duke assistant coach Jon Scheyer. “I got in trouble a week and a half ago for going out there and shooting. The biggest problem is my knee feels really good. So I want to go out there and shoot.” Okafor has been the subject of recent trade rumors, along with fellow Sixers big man Nerlens Noel.

There’s more news out of Philadelphia as draft day draws closer:

Team officials hosted Duke’s Brandon Ingram today in advance of his workout for the team Monday, tweets radio analyst Alaa Abdelnaby. Joel Embiid and two assistant coaches joined Ingram and head coach Brett Brown for dinner, tweets Jake Fischer of Liberty Ballers. The Sixers are expected to take either Ingram or LSU’s Ben Simmons with the first pick in the June 23rd draft.
Sixers representatives attended a workout today by Greek center Georgios Papagiannis, Pompey writes in a separate piece. The 7’2″, 276-pound Papagiannis is projected as a possible late first-round choice. Philadelphia owns Miami’s pick at No. 24 and Oklahoma City’s at No. 26. Foreign players must decide by Monday whether or not to remain in the draft.
Economics may persuade Dario Saric to wait another year before coming to Philadelphia, Pompey speculates in another story. The Sixers have owned the rights to the Croatian star since making a draft-day deal with Orlando in 2014. If Saric joins the Sixers this summer, he will be subject to a rookie contract, but if he waits until 2017, he could negotiate a salary up to $6MM annually. “The timing of him coming to the NBA is still in question,” said president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo, who met with Saric and his agent this week in Turkey. “I believe there’s a desire on both sides to make it happen sooner rather than later. But at the same time, the contract scenario, economics, etc. all plays a part in that decision making. We’ll know soon enough whether it’s going to happen for this particular season.”

Atlantic Notes: Ingram, Anthony, Ferrell, Love

June 12th, 2016 at 12:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Sixers will bring in Duke small forward Brandon Ingram for a workout on Monday, according to Brian Seltzer of Sixers.com. This confirms a Twitter item from The Vertical’s Shams Charania on Friday that Ingram was coming in for a workout with Philadelphia. The Sixers are expected to select either Ingram and LSU power forward Ben Simmons with the top pick in the draft. Ingram will be the only participant in the workout, Seltzer continues. Philadelphia has not held a workout since June 2nd because president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo was overseas, visiting 2014 lottery pick Dario Saric and scouting in Italy. The Sixers have conducted five other workouts sessions with six invitees in each one, Seltzer adds.

In other news around the Atlantic Division:

Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek believes Carmelo Anthony still has the ability to carry the team, though he needs some help, Hornacek stated on the Boomer and Carton radio show via Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. “I think [Anthony] just turned 32, so he’s right at that prime time for him,” Hornacek said. “He’s going to help to carry this team but we can’t put it all on him. The other guys have to step up and if he’s having a tough night the other guys are able to fill in.”
Indiana point guard Yogi Ferrell displayed a good shooting touch in workouts with the Nets and Knicks last week and may have boosted his draft stock, sources told ESPN.com’s Ian Begley. The Knicks don’t have a draft pick but are hoping to acquire one, according to Begley. The Knicks have worked out several prospects in recent days with an emphasis on the triangle offense, Begley adds. Ferrell is currently ranked No. 80 on ESPN Insider Chad Ford’s Big Board and No. 63 by Draft Express’ Jonathan Givony.
The Celtics must decide if a Kevin Love trade is worth pursuing and how they would fit the Cavaliers’ power forward into their offensive scheme, Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald opines. Love thrives when the offense revolves around him, as it did when he played for the Timberwolves, but the Celtics — like the Cavs — have a score-first point guard in Isaiah Thomas, Bulpett continues. Love’s defensive shortcomings are also a major consideration since he’s due approximately $68MM over the next three years, plus the Celtics’ wealth of draft picks probably wouldn’t interest a title contender like Cleveland, Bulpett adds.