Pelicans unlikely to award maximum contract; trade value is “steep”

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

Keith Pompey from the Philadelphia Inquirer There are reportedly hopes of an extension below that maximum amount, but the Pelicans will explore a trade for Ingram if an agreement cannot be reached. New Orleans’ asking price has reportedly been “steep” in talks with rival teams so far.

Ingram is entering the final year of his contract and has largely plateaued as a player. Last season, he averaged 20.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game and shot 35.5 percent of his three-pointers. While some are quick to label him a strong shooter, Ingram’s splits from beyond the arc are essentially league average.

At nearly 27 years old, Ingram has not shown any noticeable improvement in any category since winning the NBA Most Improved Player award in 2020.

The good news is that Ingram is still a pretty good player. He’s just not the perennial All-Star the Pelicans hoped to get five years ago in the Anthony Davis trade.

All of this makes Ingram’s trade and contract value difficult to estimate. 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 in the NBA is currently higher than Ingram’s, but it’s fair to wonder if that should be the case and, if so, by how much.

Ingram’s production is clearly below the maximum, but again the question is by how much. OG Anunoby just signed a five-year, $213 million deal. It’s possible that Ingram’s market value is around $42.5 million, but it would be fair for him to demand more since he made an All-Star team and Anunoby didn’t.