NBA Trades: 5 targets for the Jazz to replace Joe Ingles

NBA Trades: 5 targets for the Jazz to replace Joe Ingles – Jeremy Lamb

The Indiana Pacers have been in the news for the wrong reasons this year. After years of stability and building a talented core, the team has nosedived down the Eastern Conference with a 19-34 record.

Despite lots of talent in starting lineup, management is on the brink of tearing it down and starting over, citing poor chemistry and injuries among the current stars as the main reasons for the potential shake-up.

Already in his 10th NBA season, Lamb has seen his role fade over his three years in Indiana. Signed as a free agent in 2019, the Connecticut product added a scoring punch to a skillful Pacers starting lineup that needed one after the injury to star Victor Oladipo. With the arrival of Caris LeVert the following season, Lamb fell back into a reserve role before getting injured himself, and now he strictly comes off the bench.

The Pacers haven’t had a go-to scorer because of recurring injuries to LeVert, TJ Warren, and others, which is why Lamb is in a great spot as a veteran who can create his own shot. Now, struggling in an inconsistent offense, Lamb, like many others, could be on his way out. Although he’s not the first name trade partners would bring up.

Lamb doesn’t really play like Ingles, but he could be a similar contributor in the same skillful unit. He’s traditionally an efficient scorer who can get hot from three-point range. Lamb knows how to play a team brand of basketball and he’s no pushover on defense as he’s able to make hustle plays.

The major difference between Lamb and Ingles, even though they play the same position, is that Lamb really only does one thing well, and he needs the ball in his hands to do it.

Ingles does a variety of things well and doesn’t command the ball in order to do it. Lamb (career 10.2 points per game, 44.1from the field on 8.5 attempts, 34.4 percent from deep on 3.1 attempts) is a scorer who occasionally heats up from deep.

Lamb is on an expiring contract worth $10.5 million, giving the Jazz little breathing room if they wanted to add beyond him, but in no way ruling out the re-signing of Ingles, especially since Lamb will probably test free agency anyway.

Whether the Jazz want to trade for Lamb or not depends on what they think he can bring to the table. Do they believe he can play well alongside the sluggish Jordan Clarkson and help space the floor, or do they believe he’ll just take shots away from snipers and not fit in with the elite pass-first offense?