Are the New Orleans Pelicans on the verge of collapse? According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Pels could be in serious jeopardy as their star swingman Brandon Ingram reconsiders his loyalty to the franchise.
“His future is now coming into greater focus in the coming weeks. And essentially where this is going to go is it’s going to end in a trade or an extension,” said Shams. “In the offseason, the two sides were not able to come to an agreement on an extension. Ingram has now changed agencies to Klutch Sports. We will know in the coming month before the NBA trade deadline in February where this will go and it is expected that extension conversations will occur at some point as we get into January. But as for right now, I’m told that Ingram wants to be a part of a winning, competitive environment.”
Ingram, 27, was drafted 2nd overall in 2016. He spent his first three years on the Lakers before moving to the Pelicans where he had his first (and only) All-Star campaign with averages of 23.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game on 46.3% shooting.
For most of his Pelicans tenure, Ingram has settled into a sidekick role behind former Duke star Zion Williamson. Together, the two have shown a lot of promise but constant setbacks have limited their time on the court.
With just one year and $36.01 million left on his contract, Ingram is set to become a free agent next season unless he and the Pelicans can agree to an extension. But after six years of disappointment and failure, Ingram may finally be ready to move on and sever ties with the Pelicans for good. Perhaps the biggest sign of all was his new deal with Klutch Sports Group.
As a young and tall swingman who can shoot and create his own shot, Ingram is a valuable offensive weapon and his play has often come through for the Pelicans during the most intense of times.
Without Ingram, Zion wouldn’t have a reliable co-star and, more importantly, they wouldn’t have someone capable of stepping up to lead when Zion inevitably misses time. But at almost 30 years old, Ingram has shifted his main priority to winning a championship at any cost.
Currently, at 4-18, the Pelicans are dead last in the West and losers of nine straight games. Zion is set to miss more time this season recovering from a nagging hamstring injury and the Western Conference is better than ever with the first 11 teams being at least .500 better.
Ingram, while not a top-tier superstar, still has enough talent to make an impact on the NBA title race but the longer he stays with the Pelicans the harder his dreams of winning will be to accomplish.
With no end in sight to the bleeding in New Orleans, the best bet for Ingram may be to try his luck somewhere else, on a team that puts him in the best possible situation to win it all. Whether it’s with the Mavericks or a team with assets to spare like the Orlando Magic, teams are bound to be interested in Ingram this summer but ultimately it’s up to GM Bryson Graham to determine how much he’s willing to accept in a deal. For now, B.I. is considering all his options for the future and will choose whatever path gets him closer to his ultimate goals.
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