A Brandon Ingram trade may not happen anytime soon.
upon Low Post ESPN's Zach Lowe said on his podcast Friday that the New Orleans Pelicans forward may not get the lucrative contract extension he's seeking, and the team may not be looking to trade him anytime soon.
“I haven't heard a lot of rumors that the Pelicans are keen to give him such a big extension,” Lowe said. “I haven't heard a lot of rumors that Tim MacMahon or Brandon Ingram are going to be traded anywhere anytime soon.”
Ingram took a step back in 2023-24, averaging 20.8 points, 5.7 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game as the Pelicans reached the first round of the playoffs, but still drew interest from several teams around the league throughout the summer, including the Sacramento Kings and San Antonio Spurs.
But just a few weeks into the offseason, Ingram's market cooled, with The Athletic's Shams Charania reporting in early July that both the Kings and Spurs had switched gears in trades, with Charania also noting that Ingram's trade market is “currently limited.”
Ingram is a free agent after this season and could leave the team if he doesn't receive a lucrative extension, and the Pelicans will have a tough decision to make about giving him a max contract, especially with stars like Zion Williamson and newly acquired Dejounte Murray to consider.
If Ingram performs well, he could prove worthy of a big contract from New Orleans or another team, though a tough postseason performance — averaging 14.3 points and shooting 34.5% from the field — didn't help his position entering the offseason in any way.
