Brandon Ingram has been a very important part of the
New Orleans Pelicans' lineup for years now, especially when star player
Zion Williamson has been repeatedly injured and missing games. But even with all that he has done for the team, he might soon be leaving it behind.
Ingram is eligible for an extension this offseason, but New Orleans plans to actively shop him around the league this summer, according to
NBA insider Marc Stein.
In his latest newsletter, Steain is reporting that the most probable teams who will be interested are the Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, and Orlando Magic.
Ingram is an elite isolation scorer, averaging 20.8 points, 5.7 assists, and 5.1 rebounds per game this season. However, there has never been any genuine and deep chemistry between him, Zion, and McCollum, even though they are all individually talented stars. Inside reports say that New Orleans is still very committed to Williamson for the long run and has no plans to part ways with McCollum, which might leave Ingram without a place in the lineup and the one most likely to pack his bags.
According to Christian Clark of The Times-Picayune, New Orleans has the option of extending Ingram for up to $200 million this season, but they are not interested. Clark adds that New Orleans is willing to extend Ingram at a reasonable price and that if he agrees, the objective will be to acquire additional players to join Ingram, Zion, and McCollum on the roster.
Clark said if Ingram and the Pelicans cannot agree on an agreement, they will try to move him. This summer, New Orleans' roster is likely to undergo significant adjustments. They want to keep Zion, McCollum, Herbert Jones, and Trey Murphy III, so Ingram might be the guy on the move.
