Former Teammate Fires Shot at Pelicans Over Brandon Ingram Trade Rumors

A former teammate of Brandon Ingram's fired a shot at the New Orleans Pelicans amid all of the trade rumors.

Nov 8, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) dribbles against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the third quarter at Target Center. / Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

Brandon Ingram's name has been involved in a ton of trade rumors throughout the NBA offseason. At this point in time, it still seems likely that the New Orleans Pelicans would prefer to trade the star forward.

The two sides have had no traction in potential extension talks. Ingram wants a max deal and the Pelicans haven't budged on their stance of not being willing to offer that deal.

More than likely, that will end up leading to a trade at some point in the near future.

Amid all of the trade speculation, a former teammate of Ingram's has taken a shot at New Orleans.

Nick Young, who played with Ingram on the Los Angeles Lakers, took to social media to throw shade at the Pelicans. He thinks the fact that New Orleans wants to trade Ingram is ridiculous.

"The NBA is crazy they wanna trade Bi and pay and keep all they defenders ….stop gatekeeping buckets."

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

During the 2023-24 NBA season, Ingram ended up playing in 64 games. He averaged 20.8 points per game to go along with 5.7 assists and 5.1 rebounds. Ingram shot 49.2 percent from the floor and 35.5 percent from the three-point line.

Those numbers show just how valuable the 26-year-old forward has been on the offensive end of the court.

There is no denying just how talented Ingram is on the scoring side of things. However, the Pelicans clearly believe that they can replace the offensive production that would leave in a trade with Ingram.

Looking around the NBA, there are only a handful of teams that could make sense as potential trade suitors for Ingram. That could change as the season moves forward, which is the likely path that New Orleans could take.

Closer to the trade deadline, teams will start to get more aggressive. Those who are contending will look to make moves that can push them towards being more dangerous contenders. Ingram's trade value will rise during that time.

It will be interesting to see what happens with this situation. Ingram has been a key piece for the Pelicans over the last five years and seeing him play elsewhere would be a very strange feeling.

That being said, a trade still seems to be the most likely outcome, barring a change of heart from either Ingram or New Orleans in extension discussions.