Part of the reason Redick won the head coaching job was because he described his goal of "alleviating the constant ballhandling duties on James by utilizing him more off the ball," Shams Charania and Sam Amick reported for The Athletic.

Could that need for a ball-handler lead to a reunion between the Lakers and the New Orleans Pelican's Brandon Ingram?

Ingram has one year and about $36 million remaining on his contract, for which the Pelicans are entertaining trade talks, The Athletic's Kelly Iko reported Thursday.

At least one NBA general manager sees Ingram's return to the Lakers as a possibility, Heavy's Sean Deveney reported in May.

"It's an idea, if they're willing to take the chance," the anonymous Eastern Conference GM said, per Deveney. "Brandon as a third option with LeBron and Anthony Davis, it certainly makes them better, it gets them back to being a contender, or at least in that orbit."

Ingram's role as a primary ball-handler could fit well with the Lakers' desire to allow James the chance to seek more off-ball work. Los Angeles would likely need to send some contracts the other way, however, in order to fit in the final year of Ingram's deal.