Report: Cavs interested in trading for Brandon Ingram but don’t want to break up core 4

The Cleveland Cavaliers could be active this offseason, as the team has been linked to several players, including Brandon Ingram of the New Orleans Pelicans, which has apparently remained the case since early last month. However, there doesn’t seem to be any pathway for such a trade without giving up at least one of Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen, none of whom the organization is seemingly willing to include in a potential package.

“Cleveland continues to be mentioned by league personnel as a possible alternative for Ingram, but there’s no straightforward path to making such a deal work with the Cavaliers,” wrote Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports. “While Cleveland holds interest in Ingram and values his skillset, sources said, Cavs personnel have maintained a reluctance to breaking up the team’s core of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, as NBA figures continue preparing for Mitchell to sign a lucrative extension.

“Without parting with Allen, who’s long been on New Orleans’ radar, it’s difficult to find a path to bring Ingram to Northeast Ohio. (Another center the Pelicans had been eyeing, [Brooklyn] Nets big man Nic Claxton, is now committed to four more years at $100 million in Brooklyn.) Cleveland doesn’t want to part with Garland, either, sources said, even if his representation at Klutch Sports attempts to push his own trade.”

Ingram would appear to be a great fit in Cleveland, which has tried various options at the starting small forward spot to complement its core players. He earned an All-Star berth in the 2019-20 campaign, the same season he was voted the Most Improved Player.

Since then, his production has largely remained the same, averaging 23.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game over five seasons with the Pelicans. However, Ingram has struggled to remain healthy, with his 64 appearances in the 2023-24 season being the most he has played in the past three campaigns. That wasn’t even enough for him to be eligible for any major end-of-season award.

It remains to be seen if anything will come out of the rumors linking the former No. 2 pick to Cleveland. However, Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin, who had previously served as the Cavs’ general manager, has stated that his star “wants to stay” in New Orleans.

Because the Pelicans are currently facing a tricky financial situation and have a budding star swingman in Trey Murphy III, it’s only natural for Ingram and his expiring contract to be the subject of trade rumors.

The Cavs also find themselves in a similar spot, given that they have yet to reach at least the Eastern Conference Finals with the current foundation of their roster. But it’s worth noting that injuries to the star players have plagued the franchise in the past two seasons.

With a new coach in Kenny Atkinson, whom the organization is reportedly “especially eager” to have a positive impact on Mobley’s development, and hopefully a clean bill of health, the Cavs could see improvement even without breaking up their core group to land another star.