Cavs: The pros and cons of trading for Brandon Ingram

Things Are Going Well, Why Change Now?

While I do love Ingram, and think he could possibly take the Cavaliers to the next level, there are some serious concerns about bringing him to Cleveland. One of these are his minor injury concerns. Currently, he’s listed as day-to-day with a minor hip injury. During his rookie year he also missed nearly 40 games due to injury. However, other than those two occasions, he has been very reliable. The reason his injury concerns can’t go without notice is that he has an incredibly thin frame, weighing less than 200 pounds despite standing 6’8″ tall.

In terms of his defensive ability, I actually liken him to Collin Sexton in that regard. They are both tremendous athletes who can be good defenders if they put forth the effort and work. Now, if Ingram does put in the effort and work, he will become a more valuable defender than Sexton, simply because of his length.

The biggest concern with making a move for Ingram, or anyone for that matter, is it will likely affect the chemistry on the team. Over the past couple of years, since LeBron left and went to Los Angeles, the Cavs have had a tough time finding guys that mesh well together. Collin Sexton was viewed as a very ball-dominant player around the league, and that didn’t sit well with his teammates. On top of that, trying to bring in a guy that will have as big of an impact as Ingram, just after drafting your franchise player of the future, is not a good mix.

Since losing to the Suns on Halloween Eve, J.B Bickerstaff and company have now won four straight. Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley have the looks of a dominant defensive frontcourt pairing. On top of that, Darius Garland is finally becoming more confident and is taking more open looks.

So yes, in my opinion, the Cavaliers would be better with Brandon Ingram, however, there are a lot of risks involved. I wrote about trading for Brandon Ingram before the draft this summer. I think he would be a perfect fit to really take the Cavs to a level where they are competing night in a night out. With that being said, is it really worth the risk? In my eyes, yes. However, you can be your own judge.