Brandon Ingram should be at the top of the list of “players likely to get traded this summer.”
The Pelicans know Ingram hasn’t really meshed with Zion Williamson — the Pelicans net rating better last season with just one of them on the court, either one, than with both of them — and Ingram is eligible this summer for a max contract extension they don’t want to pay him. That motivates them to find a trade around the draft or in free agency.
Just don’t bet on that team being the Houston Rockets, Kelly Iko reports at The Athletic.
...in recent days, rumors have swirled about the Pelicans dangling Ingram in trade talks and in one iteration, a hypothetical Ingram-for-Alperen Şengün swap was mentioned, but the Rockets have no interest, team sources said.
Ingram appears to be a back-up choice for the 76ers if Paul George does not sign there as a free agent, and Iko confirms New Orleans and Philadelphia have talked.
Ingram is in a tier of players available via trade, along with the Bulls’ Zach LaVine, where teams see the players’ value but aren’t sure it matches the price tag. Ingram will make $36 million in the final year of his contract this season, and he is a quality shot-creator who averaged 20.8 points and 5.7 assists a game last season while shooting 35.5% from 3. Ingram also has a troubling injury history and played 64 games last season. He is eligible for a contract extension of up to four years, $208 million — $52 million a year on average. Ingram’s extension (or what he signs for in free agency next year) is likely below that max, but he won’t see a pay cut either.
One way or another, expect the Ingram trade rumors to keep flowing in the coming weeks.
