Brandon Ingram's Former Teammate Weighs In On His Contract Situation

Nick Young thinks his former teammate Brandon Ingram deserves to get the extension he wants. Do the New Orleans Pelicans agree?

March 5, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Nick Young (0) reacts after scoring a three point basket against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half at Staples Center. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Pelicans are at a crossroads concerning former All-Star forward Brandon Ingram.

On the one hand, Ingram has been a consistent 20-plus points per game scorer for most of his career. The flip side of the coin is injury concerns for the former No. 2 overall pick.

Ingram played 64 games last season, the most since his rookie year in the league.

The Pelicans did not come to an agreement on a contract extension this summer with the Duke standout. Ingram and his camp reportedly seek a maximum extension worth in the neighborhood of $45-$50 million annually. New Orleans admitted that signing him to such a deal wouldn't be feasible.

"There is a financial reality to this", the executive vice president of basketball operations for the Pelicans David Griffin told reporters this summer. "And where I think we can go in terms of keeping this group together, might not be as far as he and his agency would like us to be able to go. So for now, we're going to play it out."

With the season starting in less than a month-and-a-half, they head into the year knowing Ingram is eligible to be an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Reports surfaced the Pelicans called teams to gauge external interest in the forward, but talks never progressed. For now, Ingram remains on the team without a new deal, and there is significant uncertainty about his future in New Orleans.

His former teammate Nick Young went to social media to voice his displeasure in regards to Ingram's contract dispute.

The NBA is crazy they wanna trade Bi and pay and keep all they defenders ….stop gatekeeping buckets https://t.co/D1k36wZTzt

— Nick Young (@NickSwagyPYoung) September 2, 2024

Young and Ingram were teammates with the Los Angeles Lakers for one season during Ingram's rookie year. The Lakers parted ways with Young and he joined the Golden State Warriors the next season to win an NBA championship.

Now, Ingram may face the chance of the Pelicans parting ways with him this year.

This summer, Ingram posted on Instagram a video of a motivational speaker telling people to leave environments where others don't recognize their true value.

Many tried to connect the dots thinking the 27-year-old was sending a message to the organization.

Late last month, New Orleans players organized a voluntary workout in California where all players, except for Daniel Theis, were expected to attend.

Ingram was not present.

With Media Day later this month, and training camp beginning subsequently after that, it will be interesting to see the mood surrounding this team given the circumstances with Ingram and his contract.

The Pelicans open their regular season on Oct. 23 against the Chicago Bulls.