New Orleans has discovered the commerce marketplace for Brandon Ingram lukewarm. The Pelicans need to commerce him partly as a result of they do not need to pay him on his subsequent contract — a max could be 4 years, $208 million — however different groups really feel the identical method.
Ingram’s administration staff is working with the Pelicans to seek out Ingram a brand new dwelling, Marc Stein reported in his newest e-newsletter at Substack.
“Ingram, with one All-Star look on his resume like [Lauri] Markkanen, has just one season left on his present contract and is alleged to be in search of a four-year contract extension price practically $210 million. The Pelicans have made it clear that they will not go to these lengths to re-sign him and, whereas numerous groups have explored Ingram trades for the reason that offseason started in earnest, no different staff prepared to signal the 26-year-old at these numbers has but emerged.”
Ingram is likely one of the gamers hung up by the brand new CBA. He is a high-level isolation scorer who averaged 20.8 factors, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.7 assists in nearly 33 minutes an evening in 64 video games for the Pelicans final season. A whole lot of groups might use a bucket-getter like Ingram.
Nevertheless, groups do not need to give him $50+ million a yr, or 30% of their cap area. In a second apron tax world, groups are going to be extra cautious about who will get a max contract, and if there are questions on how a lot a participant contributes to successful or if there’s an damage historical past — each issues that apply to Ingram — groups are hesitant.
It is one thing to observe over the subsequent couple of years, to see how issues shake out for gamers like Ingram or Zach LaVine. Can they get the max from a staff, and if not, the place do their salaries fall? The brand new CBA modifications the dynamic.
What we all know is Ingram’s administration remains to be in search of that staff prepared to pay him that max.