The New Orleans Pelicans hit the lottery in 2019 and the front office personnel rejoiced. This gave the team a chance to land Zion Williamson with the first-overall pick in the NBA Draft that year. This gave the Pelicans a centerpiece player and all sights and hopes were tied to the Duke product.
In the midst of all of the excitement, there was another former Blue Devil who seemed to be put on the back burner a bit.
Brandon Ingram was originally acquired as part of the deal that sent Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers. Since coming to New Orleans, the former second-overall pick has taken his scoring to another level and even landed the Most Improved Player award following the 2019-2020 season. Ingram’s efforts landed him a lucrative contract extension.
Ingram is currently in the second of a five-year, $158 million deal signed following his rookie contract. Despite some recent trade rumors, Ingram remains committed to his team.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Brandon Ingram Finding His Groove For New Orleans Pelicans
“I’ve made a commitment to New Orleans that I was going to be here for five years and not knowing what was going to come with it,” Ingram told NBA.com. “Of course, I want to always be on the winning side. It’s always frustrating when you lose, you lose and you lose. But I think you find beauty in pushing hard. I’m trying to figure out a way with the group that we have with making each other better every single day.”
The question is, do the New Orleans Pelicans feel the same way?
Rumors come from somewhere and Brandon Ingram could turn into one of the biggest players on the block. This is not surprising after a 8-20 start from the Pelicans that currently has them as the penultimate team in the Western Conference standings. The Pelicans added Devonte’ Graham in the offseason and this was supposed to solidify the point guard position. Now, Ingram could be used as a piece to land some more depth.
At 24 years old, Ingram is beginning to enter his prime and has plenty of value on both ends. He is a true scorer at all three levels and has shown that he can lead an offense. Defensively, Ingram uses his length well and can compete along the perimeter. There are many teams that come to mind when thinking of destinations that Ingram would fit.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Brandon Ingram Finding His Groove For New Orleans Pelicans
The Philadelphia 76ers and Memphis Grizzlies come to mind immediately. These are two teams that could use a spark offensively, especially down the stretch of the season.
While the commitment from Brandon Ingram might be there, or it could be taken with a grain of salt being a public comment, the New Orleans Pelicans might not feel the same. This is to be continued but one thing that is for sure is that if Ingram is available, there will be many teams interested.
