New Orleans Pelicans Star Deemed 'Desirable Trade Asset' Despite Lack of Interest

Who are some of the most desirable trade assets for the New Orleans Pelicans?

Apr 29, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) looks on against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) during the first half of game four of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Smoothie King Center. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

With training camp closing in for the New Orleans Pelicans, the franchise is preparing to hopefully take a step forward. 

Last season, the Pelicans saw their campaign come to an end in the first round of the NBA Playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

This summer, New Orleans made a big splash to fix some of their issues when they acquired Dejounte Murray from the Atlanta Hawks.

Murray was one of the best players available on the trade market, and the Pelicans were the team to get a deal done. Fortunately for New Orleans, the trade package for the talented guard didn’t cost them a ton of their assets, as they still have a strong roster after acquiring him. 

Since the blockbuster deal, a lot of the attention has featured Brandon Ingram in trade rumors.

He is in the final year of his contract and is seeking a max deal. The Pelicans don’t seem all that interested in giving him that amount of money, but he also wasn't shipped out of town this offseason either.

The future of Ingram in New Orleans is going to be an interesting one to monitor for the rest of the year, as anything could happen. 

Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report recently spoke about the most desirable trade assets for the Pelicans, and Ingram made his list. 

“Ingram's upcoming free agency has undoubtedly hurt his trade value, as he still possesses All-Star talent yet isn't especially close to being a max-level player. The 27-year-old may begin the season in New Orleans as the Pels wait for a new trade partner to appear.”

The star forward being listed as a desirable trade asset certainly makes sense.

While he is set to get a big new contract, he is a 27-year-old, All-Star caliber player.

Athletes in their prime with his talent don’t become available all that often, so he would be a major help for a lot of teams. 

Since New Orleans made the move to acquire Murray, it’s fair to think their first goal this season is going to be to try and contend in the Western Conference, however, if Murray, Ingram, and Zion Williamson don’t mesh well, or if there is an injury, the franchise's openness to trading the lanky wing would likely grow. 

As it gets closer to the start of the season, Ingram will continue to be a name to watch in trade rumors.

If the Pelicans don’t want to lock him up to a big long-term deal, trading him would make a lot of sense.