Boston Celtics: Should Cs monitor Brandon Ingram’s availability?

Recently the New Orleans Pelicanskicked off their offseason by acquiring some desperately needed floor spacing at the five in Jonas Valanciunas, in exchange for Steven Adams, Eric Bledsoe, and their first-round pick. The deal allowed NOLA to move off two terrible contracts and receive an expiring, which will help them operate under the cap apron this season and open up a slot to sign more free agents next summer. Overall, the trade was a homerun for David Griffin and the Pelicans, but it does beg a few questions, some of which involving the Boston Celtics.

What else do the Pelicans plan to do? They have seen the havoc Zion Williamson can create, and they know his camp has their frustrations with how the club has handled building around the young power forward. He is now and always will be the Pelicans’ best player, making guys like Lonzo Ball, Kira Lewis, and Brandon Ingram extremely tradable if NOLA decides they want to go all-in on Zion Williamson.

Let’s examine how this may impact the Boston Celtics.

A trio of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Brandon Ingram would be deadly and a clear-cut contender for years to come. The amount of length, shooting, ball skills, on and off-ball creation, and youth would overwhelm teams now and in the future. If Boston can form this trio, they should take every precaution to sustain their luck at creating it.

That means staying financially clean, gathering assets, and being prepared to trade younger components. Guys like Robert Williams, Payton Pritchard, Romeo Langford, and Aaron Nesmith will all be critical in the Boston Celtics search for a big three, and Brandon Ingram might be that guy.

Now for the underwhelming part; reality. Unfortunately for the Boston Celtics, there aren’t many better fits next to Zion Williamson than Brandon Ingram. The Pelicans have already noticed, hence why they gave him a massive extension last summer.

The likelihood that they revert that move by trading him is slim, which means the Boston Celtics will have to rely on Ingram growing frustrated with the organization and asking out. He would also have to ask to be traded to the Boston Celtics in this instance, seeing as multiple other teams could outbid Brad Stevens if he kept Jaylen Brown out of trade talks.

It’s not impossible, Ingram has missed the playoffs twice now, and even with JV, they are unlikely to be a high-level playoff team given the inexperience in their backcourt and lackluster defense. Not having made the playoffs in the five seasons he’s played in the NBA might sting, and seeing guys his age accomplish that feat and more may add insult to injury.

If the Boston Celtics can put together a team, make a run, and show Ingram he can accomplish that which he covets in green, they may stand a chance to get him and form a big three.

I doubt Ingram asks out this summer, and it’s unlikely the Boston Celtics can get him with a package centered around Robert Williams unless the Time Lord makes an insane jump and Ingram asks explicitly to be rerouted to Beantown.

Just some food for thought as we navigate what’s shaping up to be an eventful offseason!