NBA Trade Idea To Help LA Clippers Flip Brandon Ingram

Brandon Ingram was the biggest name coming over from the Toronto Raptors in the trade that sent out Kawhi Leonard, but he wasn't the reason the LA Clippers swung the deal.

The two-time All-Star was mostly involved as matching salary, a player who could theoretically play minutes next to Darius Garland but probably not one LA views as a cornerstone. He was a means to acquire some draft capital while avoiding a pricey extension for Leonard.

The natural move for a squad that blew up its core would be to flip Ingram for a larger, longer contract with assets attached. Those aren't easy to come by and might not actually fit the Clippers' specific needs.

Bottoming out doesn't pay like it used to, and it really won't benefit the Clippers this season.

LA's 2027 first-rounder is controlled by the Oklahoma City Thunder, who can exercise swap rights on it.

Ingram isn't exactly a bargain at $41.9 million next year with a $42.9 million player option in 2027-28, so perhaps LA should target a return with a similar contract who could actually make the team better on the floor in the near term.

The Trade

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Sacramento Kings Acquire: Brandon Ingram, 2031 second-round pick, 2032 second-round pick

LA Clippers Acquire: Domantas Sabonis

Why LA Does It

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Sabonis is far from a perfect player. His defensive flaws and lack of stretch make it difficult to build a big-time winner if he's in a major role. At the same time, he's a legitimate offensive hub who isn't so far removed from leading an elite Kings offense while finishing among the top eight in MVP voting a couple of years ago.

He's a demonstrated floor raiser, a player who can help you get to respectability and perhaps a bit beyond that if surrounded with the right supporting cast. This matters for a Clippers team that has no incentive to be bad with its 2027 first-rounder headed to OKC via swap rights.

Just as importantly, Sabonis would address a massive need on the Clippers.

As an elbow hub, Sabonis could make life much easier for Darius Garland and rookie Keaton Wagler. As it stands now, Brook Lopez and Yanic Konan Niederhauser are the only centers on the roster. The former is 38 and can't hold up under the strain of a starting role, and the latter is too inexperienced to handle big minutes.

Sabonis makes about $3 million more than Ingram this coming season and $4 million more in 2027-28, when his contract expires. Adding him would also avoid the potential risk of losing Ingram for nothing if he opts out of his deal after the upcoming campaign.

Sabonis missed all but 19 games last season but posted an Estimated Wins figure of at least plus-10.0 in each of the three previous years. Those figures rated in or above the 96th percentile and dwarf the plus-5.0 Ingram managed in 2025-26.

A much more positively impactful player at a position of need who only costs LA an extra $7 million over the next two seasons? That's almost too good to be true.

Why Sacramento Does It

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The new lottery odds would seem to favor the Kings keeping Sabonis, because he's proved in the past that he can prevent a team from bottoming out. No team, Sacramento included, is incentivized to finish with one of the three worst records anymore.

But based on last season, when Sabonis missed over a quarter of his team's games, moving him might actually be what keeps Sacramento from the relegation zone.

Sabonis is at an age where decline is the expectation, and the Kings have two younger options at center in All-Rookie honoree Maxime Raynaud and the rugged Dylan Cardwell. Combined, those two could offer more stretch, size and defensive punch than Sabonis—and they could do so at a fraction of the cost.

Ingram is only marginally cheaper than Sabonis, and he can opt out after this season. He's also two years younger and would slot cleanly into the starting spot the Kings will clear when they inevitably waive and stretch DeMar DeRozan.

Sabonis' large contract and health concerns make it unrealistic for Sacramento to snag a first-rounder from the Clippers. The Kings have to settle for a pair of seconds and some marginal cash savings here, though it's possible that Sabonis could be the less valuable player if he can't stay healthy next season.

Sacramento might be getting out ahead of things here, moving Sabonis for positive value before his contract is totally underwater.