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Los Angeles Lakers: If anyone is traded it is bound to be Brandon Ingram

By Jason Reed

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 15: Brandon Ingram of the Los Angeles Lakers attends a quarterfinal game of the 2018 NBA Summer League between the Lakers and the Detroit Pistons at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 15, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 15: Brandon Ingram of the Los Angeles Lakers attends a quarterfinal game of the 2018 NBA Summer League between the Lakers and the Detroit Pistons at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 15, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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The possibility of a blockbuster trade is always going to be present with the Los Angeles Lakers, which inevitably would include forward Brandon Ingram.

The Los Angeles Lakers built the roster for the 2018-2019 NBA season to at least compete with the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference but also built it if it needed to be easily disassembled by midseason.

The Lakers signed multiple veterans exclusively to one-year contract not only to free up salary cap space next offseason but to also make each piece very easy to move in a deal.

If the Los Angeles Lakers were to trade for another superstar, the team would have to include a mid-tier contract like Rajon Rondo or Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to match the salaries. John Gonzalez of The Ringer does a wonderful job of breaking this dynamic down in his latest piece.

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However, the possibilities of a trade happening should be slim to none. As far as we are concerned, there is only one player that is worth trading for this season and that is Anthony Davis. Aside from Davis, unless something absolutely ludicrous happened, like the Bucks offering Giannis Antetokounmpo, there really should be no other star traded for this season.

And we all know that Antetokounmpo is not going anywhere.

The number of superstars the Lakers could add this season that fits the perfect billing are slim to none.

Los Angeles needs a star that is locked down for multiple years, that could help reduce the gap with the Warriors as early as year one and does not have an astronomical contract. That way, if Luol Deng is also included, the Lakers could theoretically have cap space for another max guy.

Within that short list, there is one trend as well. If the Los Angeles Lakers were to make a trade for another superstar, it would inevitably have to include Brandon Ingram. There is not a single superstar trade unless another team makes a dumb move, that can happen without Ingram.

And quite frankly, the Lakers built this roster to soften the blow of losing Ingram.

Obviously, there is the addition of LeBron James, who is a natural small forward but will likely play power forward for the Lakers next season. Trading Ingram opens up the door for LeBron to come to small forward and Kyle Kuzma to come off the bench and start at power forward.

Plus, it all depends on who the Lakers trade for. If the Lakers trade for someone like Jimmy Butler, the team would likely line them up at the three. If the team traded for someone like Davis, he would become the starting center.

No matter what the Lakers do or what type of player is traded, there is security at small forward. This is especially two with the Lakers two premier draft picks from 2018, Moritz Wagner and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk.

Wagner has the size of a center and can help there if needed but is also the perfect stretch four. LeBron could play the three, with Kyle Kuzma also sharing time there with both Michael Beasley and Moritz Wagner coming off the bench to help at forward.

Mykhailiuk fits the billing of a shooting guard but can also play small forward and is lights out from beyond the arc. No matter what capacity he is used in, he will be a difference maker off the bench.

No other young star can be traded with this level of preparation to follow. Trading Kuzma would hurt the team’s size, something it is already struggling with. Trading Lonzo Ball, unless it was for Damian Lillard, would create a mess at shooting guard and Josh Hart is not touted enough to land an actual star.

Related Story. Top 30 players in Lakers history. light

At the end of the day, all signs lead to trading Brandon Ingram. Luckily for those Brandon Ingram fans, we think that the Los Angeles Lakers will resist the temptation and simply spend big next offseason and build a super team that includes Ingram.

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