Buying or Selling Latest NBA Rumors: Trae Young, Brandon Ingram, Bronny on the Move? (2024)

The NBA playoffs are in full swing, but that certainly hasn't slowed down the league's rumor mill.

On the contrary, Sunday's NBA draft lottery probably sped it up a bit. Now that the order of the draft is set, rumors and potential trades are all over the place.

Here, we'll use the tried and true "buy or sell" exercise to sift through some of the bigger ones that have surfaced recently.

This season, the New Orleans Pelicans' point differential was slightly worse when Brandon Ingram was on the floor. In the playoffs, with Zion Williamson on the shelf with a hamstring injury, Ingram averaged 14.3 points and shot 34.5 percent from the field.

So, it may come as little surprise that the team might be considering moving the 26-year-old this offseason, according to veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein:

"Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin has all but promised that New Orleans will be active in the marketplace in the wake of a first-round sweep inflicted by the Thunder and league sources say that Ingram's exit is increasingly viewed by various league observers as an inevitability rather than possibility."

Given the numbers above and the years spent nowhere near title contention during Ingram's New Orleans tenure, "inevitability" feels like an appropriate description.

Really, the only hesitation for the buy-or-sell test has to do with the 2020 All-Star's trade value. With his struggles to carry the Pelicans' offense without Zion and his overreliance on low-efficiency, mid-range offense, it's tough to imagine anyone giving up a great haul to get him.

Still, merely getting a rotation player and one or two draft assets might be enough for New Orleans to agree to a deal, in large part because Trey Murphy III is ready to be a starter. He's shown a bit more range defensively and has a far more modern offensive game that fits well with Zion's.

The Pelicans shopping and potentially moving Ingram is very easy to believe.

Verdict: Buy

The Houston Rockets could easily justify making a win-now move with the No. 3 pick it just landed in the draft lottery.

The team already has plenty of young talent in Alperen Şengün, Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore, and it almost made the play-in tournament with all of the above playing real roles.

Supplementing that core with another veteran could be exactly what Houston needs to make that final push into the West's top 10.

Shortly after the lottery, though, Rockets general manager Rafael Stone said they'd likely value their potential pickup with the third pick more than potential trades.

And it's not hard to take him at his word there. Not necessarily because this top three is loaded with star talent (most reports suggest it isn't), but because Houston isn't likely to get any eyebrow-raising offers for the pick.

This draft class is considered to be one of the weaker ones in recent history, so other organizations probably aren't going to pony up real talent or assets to get to third on the board.

That means the Rockets will likely make the selection themselves and add another young talent to develop alongside the already strong core.

Verdict: Buy

The analysis here is pretty similar to that of the last slide.

The Atlanta Hawks had just a three percent chance to land the top pick in this summer's draft, but they beat those odds on Sunday.

In most years, a team with multiple All-Stars jumping nine spots in the lottery would lead to multiple enticing offers for that No. 1 selection.

But 2024 is unique, and so are these Hawks.

The two All-Stars, Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, haven't jelled as a backcourt. Trading assets to add a veteran to those two would feel like running in place, especially since the strength (or lack thereof) of this class is going to affect any offers Atlanta might get.

The more reasonable approach is probably the one general manager Landry Fields is already signaling.

Honestly, given the length of time Atlanta has spent with mediocrity, it could probably justify trading both Young and Murray in an effort to bolster its trove of future assets. Building around first-round picks, including this one, over the next few years could lead to a higher ceiling.

But that feels a bit dramatic. Trading one or the other and then using the first overall pick in June is likely where we're headed with the Hawks.

Verdict: Buy

And if Atlanta makes that calculation, it could be Young on the move.

It's easy to pick at his flaws (particularly on the defensive end), but he is still a 25-year-old former All-NBA guard who already has a conference finals appearance to his name.

He's a prolific offensive engine and pick-and-roll creator, and he'd almost certainly command a bigger return in a trade than Murray.

So, it's not all that surprising that has name has been showing up in more rumors over the last several months. Most recently, it was Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer who shared some intel on the situation.

He wrote: "There's a growing belief among rival teams that this summer will also put All-Star Trae Young on the league's trade block."

If that happens (or if it already has), Young could be the biggest difference-maker on the market this summer. Paul George could still sign an extension with the Los Angeles Clippers, and restricted free agent Tyrese Maxey's return to the Philadelphia 76ers is a foregone conclusion.

Teams desperate for dramatic change could then look to Young, and that desperation could well generate a good enough offer for Atlanta to move its current (and potentially former) franchise cornerstone.

Verdict: Buy

On Monday, ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Bronny James, who had a procedure to repair a congenital heart defect last season, had been medically cleared by the league's Fitness to Play Panel and would be a full participant in this summer's draft combine.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium added: "Bronny James is expected to stay in the 2024 NBA Draft."

And if you ignore some pretty significant context, all of this might be a bit surprising to the average observer of the NBA and its draft.

James was a 6'4" guard for USC in 2023-24, where he averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.8 steals in 19.3 minutes. He shot 36.6 percent from the field and 26.7 percent from deep while posting a 0.7 box plus/minus that ranked outside the top 100 for freshmen with 400-plus minutes.

But Bronny is the son of LeBron James, one of the greatest players in NBA history. LeBron's team, the Los Angeles Lakers, are reportedly open to drafting the younger James.

Given the relative weakness of this draft class, some other organization might be willing to take a second-round flyer on the 19-year-old, in hopes that LeBron could join them for his last season and fulfill his desire to play with his son in the NBA.

In other words, there are enough reasons for Bronny to justify staying in this draft. Getting his first NBA contract and being around NBA coaching and development staffs could improve his career trajectory too.

Verdict: Buy