I never said Ball would be in a top 3. I do think Ball could be a very solid starting PG as the 4th-5th option. Possible he becomes better then that but for me it’s not the talent but the drama that comes with him that simply isn’t worth it for us which is why I would try and flip him. There will be teams that believe in him and will give up something. Move Ball and some of our 1st round picks that we have from the Lakers for Beal and we have a team ready to compete now that could be deadly in a year. With Ball and 6 1st round draft picks we will have plenty of options that Griffin can source out there to get us a deal wether it be Beal or someone else. You just stated how you liked Kuzma who would be in the deal as well. Jrue/Beal/Ingram/Kuzma is a core you can build around like the Nuggets and Blazers.. Kuzma is another piece we can move. The Lakers trade is valuable to us for more reasons then just what the initial deal looks like. Lots of options we have in this scenario.
Yes I do believe Ingram is going to develop into the 2nd/3rd option on a serious contender. No he’s not there right now but in a year or 2 this kid will look like a completely different player. Now he has the talent to be the #1 but I don’t think he gets there and ideally we would have someone else. I don’t think you have to have some clear superstar to win in the NBA but can build something similar to the Sixers with pieces that fit better together and still win. Look at Denver as well as another team to model after. The Blazers are near the same team we just swept. I think the NBA will even out much more over the next few years as well with the path to an NBA championship a little more wide open.
That’s fine with your opinion on Griffin if he trades with the Lakers but just like Griffin many others would have a different opinion on that scenario as well.