Brandon Ingram Reportedly Was Targeted by Kings Before DeMarcus Cousins Trade

Before the Sacramento Kings traded DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans, per Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical and Marc Stein of ESPN, the team reportedly was in talks with the Los Angeles Lakers and targeting rookie Brandon Ingram.

But according to both Chris Mannix of The Vertical and Romana Shelburne of ESPN, the Lakers weren't interested in trading Ingram.

The Kings ultimately settled on acquiring Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway, a 2017 top-three protected first-round pick and a 2017 second-rounder in exchange for Cousins and Omri Casspi. Hield and the 2017 first-rounder were the key components of the trade for the Kings.

For Cousins, a 26-year-old three-time All-Star averaging 27.8 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game this season, the return was fairly light. Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times was certainly surprised by the deal: 

But as Howard Beck of Bleacher Report and Sam Amick of USA Today noted, there were extenuating circumstances resulting in the Kings' getting 50 cents on the dollar for Cousins: 

Additionally, the Kings' own 2017 first-rounder is top-10 protected and otherwise owed to the Chicago Bulls. By unloading Cousins, the Kings are far more likely to fall down the standings and keep their pick in what is widely considered a loaded 2017 draft.

So there were justifications for the deal from Sacramento's perspective. Had the Kings been able to acquire Ingram from the Lakers, public opinion on the move might have been a bit less harsh.

While Ingram has struggled during his rookie season, averaging 8.0 points and 4.1 rebounds in 27.7 minutes per game, his upside is considered much higher than that of Hield, the main reason the Lakers used the No. 2 pick to select him in the 2016 NBA draft.

Ingram is also just 19, whereas Hield is 23. And despite that age gap, Hield's numbers—8.6 points and 1.4 assists in 20.4 minutes per contest—have been less impressive than what Ingram has managed in Los Angeles.

In Hield, the Kings acquired a 2-guard who should carve out a niche for himself as a perimeter sharpshooter but one who, at least at the moment, doesn't appear to bring much more to the table. Ingram's potential as both a lead scorer and facilitator, meanwhile, holds far more value.

That is likely why the Lakers wouldn't entertain the notion of dealing him, even for a player of Cousins' caliber.