Brandon Ingram
Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
Brandon Ingram trade rumors have been in circulation for the better part of the past year with the New Orleans Pelicans trying to plan out their future. While the All-Star scorer is certainly a talented player, he’s only under contract through the rest of this season before becoming an unrestricted free agent.
The ideal scenario would see the Pelicans reach terms on a reasonable contract extension for Ingram, but reports suggest he wants close to a max-level paycheck, and New Orleans hasn’t been willing to budge. An Ingram trade could take place before the deadline, but now we’ve learned about another enticing opportunity that never quite came to fruition.
Related: NBA MVP race 2024-25
New Orleans Pelicans discussed trading Brandon Ingram for KAT
Brandon Ingram
Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the New Orleans Pelicans and Minnesota Timberwolves discussed a trade centered around Brandon Ingram and Karl-Anthony Towns. Of course, this was before KAT was traded to the New York Knicks this past offseason.
Still, from Charania’s reporting, it appears it was the Timberwolves who approached the Pelicans about an Ingram for KAT trade. Towns has since landed in the NBA MVP conversation in his first season with the New York Knicks. Yet, the Pelicans were also discussing Ingram trades with several other teams too.
“The Pelicans discussed trades with multiple teams over the summer, but no concrete offer made sense. A level of interest came from the Minnesota Timberwolves, sources told ESPN, and they would have needed to put together a trade concept around Karl-Anthony Towns for Ingram. The window to get a deal done for both teams, however, needed to come during the 2023-24 season, not the offseason, because Towns still would have been under his old contract.
Taking on Towns — entering the first year of a four-year, $224 million supermax deal — would have made a trade extremely difficult, especially as New Orleans drafted No. 21 pick Yves Missi, who has shown flashes as a high-level center of the future.”
ESPN’s Shams Charania on Brandon Ingram trade
Related: Miami Heat coming closer to Jimmy Butler trade, three frontrunners emerge
The Pelicans reportedly tried getting Ingram signed to a contract extension, but the former No. 2 overall pick wanted to receive a $50 million salary from New Orleans. Yet, the organization, keeping their future costs in mind, weren’t willing to go that high for the 27-year-old forward.
As a result, the Pelicans continue seeking trade opportunities to move forward without Ingram, yet they don’t want to sacrifice a chance to win a championship. In turn, finding a trade that helps the Pelicans compete while placing Ingram in a favorable situation would be the ideal solution, but doing so is much easier said than done.
Related: NBA Rookie of the Year 2024-25