NBA Rumors: Los Angeles Lakers Trading Brandon Ingram to Philadelphia 76ers for Nerlens Noel

Aug 11, 2016 09:40 AM EDT

Ever since Kobe Bryant retired, the Los Angeles Lakers have been focused on rebuilding its roster in preparation for next season. And, according to new rumors, one way the team is planning on doing this is by trading Brandon Ingram to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Nerlens Noel.

During the weeks leading up to the 2016 NBA Draft, Ingram has already been the center of rumors due to the various teams vying to sign him. The Lakers were able to do this by selecting him as the draft event's second overall pick.

However, even though it would seem that the Lakers struck gold by drafting Ingram, it seems the Los Angeles organization would benefit more if they trade him away. But, this doesn't necessarily mean that he's not good for the team, instead, trading him would give the Lakers an opportunity to select another player who could boost their plays, according to Sportsrageous.

With Jordan Clarkson and D'Angelo Russell on the roster, the Lakers can certainly do without another scorer in the form of Ingram. What they need, on the other hand, is another center who can assist in both of their offensive and defensive plays.

Although there are a lot of great centers out there to choose from, one team that's probably more than willing to give away a big man in exchange for Ingram are the 76ers. For one, team president Bryan Colangelo has already admitted that the Philadelphia organization is currently facing a surplus of big men. He noted that this issue is already causing a bit of an imbalance in the team.

And since they will probably not let go of Jahlil Okafor, then the next best bet would be taking Noel. With the Lakers, Noel can indeed serve as a partner for Timofey Mozgov in securing rebounds and carrying out blocks.

With these two men under the basket, Russell, Clarkson, Luol Deng and the other shooters of the Lakers will certainly be able to find easily their way to make points.

Of course, Noel isn't on the same level as Ingram, which means the Lakers will most likely not agree to a straight swap. If Philadelphia wants to get Ingram from the Los Angeles franchise, then the team will also probably throw in another player or a future draft pick to make the trade happen, Yibada reported.