Grade the trade pitch: Creative idea lands the Kings Brandon Ingram

Sacramento Kings

Lastly, we have our Kings. In this trade, they would move Kevin Huerter, Harrison Barnes, and two semi-protected first round picks in order to land Ingram.

For similar reasons that the Pelicans aren't getting enough value for Ingram, the Kings are getting the forward below his fair market value. Huerter and Barnes are worth roughly two first round picks on the open market. But getting those types of protections on the 2027 and 2029 picks greatly diminishes their value for the Pelicans (although you assume that if the Kings are trading for Ingram, they will not be in the lottery for the rest of the 2020s and that those picks will convey). Regardless, the Kings are sitting pretty for not having to give up any unprotected firsts in exchange for Ingram.

We've discussed the pros and cons of Ingram joining the Kings from an on-court perspective. If you want to go more in-depth on it, check out this post here. The bottom line is that he's not a perfect fit for the Kings roster, but he is certainly an upgrade over Barnes (and they have enough guards to negate the loss of Huerter). It really just comes down to whether they can ink him to a long-term extension (he's entering the last year of his contract) after trading for him.

Grade: B-