NBA Analyst Proposes Surprising Trade Suitor For New Orleans Pelicans Star

Would a rebuilding Western Conference team make sense as a potenital trade parter with the New Orleans Pelicans?

Sep 30, 2024; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) takes part in Pelicans Media Day. / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

With the start of the NBA season getting closer and closer, the New Orleans Pelicans are excited about their team coming into the campaign. 

This summer, the Pelicans made some notable roster moves, which included acquiring Dejounte Murray from the Atlanta Hawks. Murray is an excellent two-way guard who certainly makes the roster better. 

While it was surprising to see New Orleans acquire a talented guard, it was also interesting to see that the situation regarding the future of Brandon Ingram with the franchise wasn’t resolved. 

With the season nearly here, Ingram hasn’t been traded and also hasn’t had his contract extended. As he enters the final year of his deal, his future with the franchise is very uncertain. 

Chris Herring of ESPN.com recently spoke about players to watch heading into the season that could be traded. He mentions Ingram on his list, and also proposes an interesting possible destination. 

“He did have a career-best effective field goal rate last season, albeit on his fewest shots per game since 2018-19. But it remains to be seen what, if any, team would be willing to commit to him beyond this season. If it looks as if he might have to take a sub-max contract next summer, a rebuilding team -- perhaps the Blazers? -- could be interesting and see it as an opportunity to trade for an undervalued scoring talent.”

While the star forward being traded before the deadline would be surprising, the mention of going to the Portland Trail Blazers is.

After trading both Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum in recent years, the Trail Blazers are squarely in the middle of a rebuild. With a very young roster, Portland isn’t very close to competing for a playoff spot. 

However, adding an All-Star caliber player in Ingram could help the rebuild finish quicker. The forward has shown that he can be a 20-poiint scorer in the NBA and has made the All-Star team. 

Considering the Trail Blazers were unable to lure a star to come play with Lillard, free agency can’t be something that they rely on. This is a franchise that needs to build through the draft and trades, and then hopes to keep their good players around. 

If the Trail Blazers traded for Ingram, he very well could be willing to sign an extension if the price is right. Even though a lot of the speculation is that the former All-Star would go to a contender, sending him to a rebuilding team in the need of an All-Star caliber player might be more realistic.