New Orleans Pelicans Can Accomplish Two Big Goals Resolving Ingram Situation

The New Orleans Pelicans can kill two birds with one stone bringing the Brandon Ingram saga to an end.

Oct 23, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) passes the ball across court against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at Smoothie King Center. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Pelicans got their season off on the right foot when they defeated the Chicago Bulls in their season opener, 123-111.

There were a lot of takeaways from the game, some bad and some good. Among the negatives was the injury report getting longer.

Dejounte Murray fractured his left hand and will be sidelined for multiple weeks. Herbert Jones also hurt his hip on a hard fall but was able to finish out the game. Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy both missed the opener because of an illness and hamstring injury, respectively.

On the good side of things, there was Brandon Ingram.

One of the standouts during training camp, the good production carried into the start of the regular season. He scored a game-high 33 points, shooting 13-of-23 from the field, 3-of-5 on 3-pointers and sinking all four of his free throw attempts.

Ingram added seven rebounds and two assists with two steals and one block. He will be relied upon heavily with Murray sidelined as the ball will be in his hands more.

This is an important stretch for the former No. 2 pick as he is looking to prove his worth around the league. Eligible for a long-term extension, he is seeking a max contract, but the Pelicans are not willing to pay that.

That has led to trade rumors swirling around him. But, no deal has been close to getting done as teams don’t want to trade away assets and pay him big money.

Quite the predicament has been created, but New Orleans has to make the most of this situation. In the opinion of Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, winning this situation is the team’s No. 1 goal, with the caveat of also ducking the tax.

“While getting under the tax won't be the Pelicans' No. 1 goal, resolving Brandon Ingram's contract situation may go hand-in-hand. The former All-Star can sign an extension as late as June 30, but if negotiations aren't promising, Ingram could be dealt ahead of the trade deadline in a move that drops the Pelicans below the luxury tax,” the NBA expert wrote.

In an ideal world, a trade would be completed that swaps Ingram out for a starting-caliber center. New Orleans would be able to recoup some of the assets they parted with to land Murray as well.

It will be interesting to see what the front office decides to do. Moving the former All-Star at this point isn’t feasible given the injuries on the roster. But, once Willie Green has his full rotation and everyone sees how things look, trade talks could ramp up again.