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Brandon Ingram Rumors: Pelicans Unlikely to Give Max Contract; Trade Value Is 'Steep'

Tyler Conway@@jtylerconwayX.com LogoFeatured Columnist IVJune 30, 2024

NEW ORLEANS, LA - APRIL 29:  Brandon Ingram #14 of the New Orleans Pelicans talks to the media after Round 1 Game 4 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 29, 2024 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE via Getty Images)
Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE via Getty Images

The New Orleans Pelicans are reportedly unwilling to offer Brandon Ingram his full four-year maximum contract extension this summer.

Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported there are hopes of an extension below that max number, but the Pelicans will explore trading Ingram if no deal can be reached. New Orleans' asking price has reportedly been "steep" to this point when talking with rival teams.

Ingram is heading into the final year of his contract and has largely plateaued as a player. He averaged 20.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game last season while shooting 35.5 percent from three-point range. While some are quick to call him a strong shooter, Ingram's splits are essentially at league average from long distance.

As he approaches age 27, Ingram has shown no discernible improvement in any category since winning NBA Most Improved Player in 2020.

The good news is Ingram is still a pretty good player; he's just not the perennial All-Star the Pelicans hoped they were landing as part of the Anthony Davis trade five years ago.

All of this makes Ingram's trade and contract value murky to navigate. The New York Knicks just traded five first-round picks for Mikal Bridges, a 27-year-old wing who has never made an All-Star team. Bridges' value around the NBA is higher than Ingram's at this point, but it's fair to wonder whether that should be the case and, if so, by how much.

Ingram's production clearly puts him in below-max territory but, again, the question is by how much. OG Anunoby just signed a five-year, $213 million contract. It's possible Ingram's market value is around that $42.5 million number, but it would be fair for him to request more given he's made an All-Star team and Anunoby has not.