NBA Rumors: Brandon Ingram Likely Done In New Orleans, 3 Teams Frontrunners

With his eligibility for a massive $200 million+ extension this summer, it appears that the New Orleans Pelicans will no longer be in the Brandon Ingram business. According to Will Guillory of The Athletic, the Pels have no interest in extending Ingram for that kind of money.

Brandon Ingram is unlikely to receive a max extension from the Pelicans, per @WillGuillory (https://t.co/JrZM3L9BlM).

Persistent buzz from New Orleans that it appears more likely Ingram is traded this offseason than receiving his desired full-scale deal. pic.twitter.com/YFrogWH6Wz
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) June 4, 2024

“Keeping him around will be complicated. Ingram, who turns 27 in September, is eligible for a four-year, $208 million extension this summer,” Guillory wrote. “Considering their current and future financial situation, the Pelicans are unlikely to offer him that maximum deal this offseason, league sources tell The Athletic.”

That means a trade is on the horizon, with 3 teams being mentioned as top suitors. The first two, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers, certainly make sense from a positional need—a voluminous scoring forward to add to a legit center and backcourt scoring mix.

But we're proposing that the Los Angeles Lakers are going to vault into this discussion—particularly once they hire JJ Redick as their new head coach (he's the current frontrunner). You see, Redick has always been a huge fan of his former teammate with the Pelicans:

Newest Lakers head coach JJ Redick on Brandon Ingram in 2020 pic.twitter.com/xWbd7dx3mj
— Boot Krewe Media (@BootKreweMedia) June 4, 2024

Redick said during Ingram's first year in New Orleans that he expects him to average a triple-double someday and become a top-10 player. "One of my favorite teammates I've had. Greatness in the making."

Of course, the Lakers as an organization are plenty familiar with the talents of Ingram, as they drafted him with the second overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. They reluctantly traded him to the Pelicans in 2019 in the Anthony Davis trade (let's call it a good deal for both teams).

We'll have to keep an eye on Ingram as the offseason unfolds.