Los Angeles Lakers President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson appeared on ESPN Los Angeles on Thursday with Jorge Sedano, Keyshawn Johnson and LZ Granderson. Johnson was asked if there are any untouchable players on his roster, and he named just one – Brandon Ingram:
.@MagicJohnson tells us that the only player he would not consider moving is @B_Ingram13
— Jorge Sedano (@SedanoESPN) May 25, 2017
.@MagicJohnson tells us that the only player he would not consider moving is @B_Ingram13
— Jorge Sedano (@SedanoESPN) May 25, 2017
This insinuates that other players some consider part of the Lakers’ core going forward (like D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle and maybe Ivica Zubac) may be up for trades.
With the Lakers all but certain to draft UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball, it’s likely that either Russell or Clarkson could be traded or eventually let walk. The only real alternative is if the Lakers envision, say, a Ball-Russell backcourt going forward, with Clarkson as sixth man.
Ingram, selected second overall by the Lakers in last year’s draft, averaged 9.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game over the course of his rookie season while shooting 40.2 percent from the field and 29.4 percent from three-point range.
