New Orleans Pelicans Stance on Brandon Ingram's Future Shared by Insider

An NBA insider has provided some intel on how things could unfold between Brandon Ingram and the New Orleans Pelicans.

Apr 16, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) is introduced before the game against the Los Angeles Lakers in a play-in game of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Smoothie King Center. / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

There has been a lot of discussion during the 2024 NBA offseason about what the future holds for New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram. Earlier in the summer, it certainly looked like his future would be elsewhere.

The Pelicans were reportedly shopping him on the trade market for a multitude of reasons. The biggest one was money.

Entering the final year of his current contract, Ingram is seeking a long-term deal. The two sides were not close, which prompted the team to see what kind of market existed for him around the league.

According to NBA insider Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, that market is limited. That should come as no surprise as front offices around the league are navigating a new landscape of aprons and repeated penalties.

There just aren’t many teams that have the assets required to land a player of Ingram’s caliber or the cap space to bring him on and sign him to an extension. That could change, especially if the Utah Jazz go through with signing Lauri Markkanen to a long-term deal and want to upgrade the roster around him.

Another reason that people thought Ingram would be on the move is the current construction of New Orleans’ roster. After acquiring Dejounte Murray from the Atlanta Hawks earlier this offseason, it felt like another move was eventually coming.

Trading Ingram seemed like a logical next step, especially because the Pelicans have wings to step into his spot in the lineup. Trey Murphy is ready for a larger role and the team could also look to give 2023 first-round pick Jordan Hawkins some added minutes in Year 2.

Alas, that isn’t something the New Orleans front office sounds like they want to do. During his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Charania added that Ingram wants to stay with the Pelicans and the feeling is mutual.

"I'm told the trade market for Brandon Ingram is limited..

New Orleans wants him to stay and he wants to stay as well..

The sense around New Orleans is he's going to be there and they're fully expecting him to be part of this Pelicans team" ~ @ShamsCharania#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/SGHwYiebLk

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 6, 2024

Right now, the expectation is that Ingram will be a part of the team for the start of the 2024-25 season. There is a team mini-camp at the end of August that he is expected to be at and participate in as well.

From what Charania is sharing, it sounds as if New Orleans wants to see how things look with this current core before exploring trades center around Ingram again. Willie Green will have his hands full figuring out lineup combinations as the team is lacking options at center and has a logjam on the wing.