(Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
The New Orleans Pelicans have been thought to have a bright future for a while, but ever since they got swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Oklahoma City Thunder, a cloud has started to hang over the organization.
While forward Zion Williamson continues to have problems staying healthy for an entire season, another star in Brandon Ingram has just one year left on his contract and is looking for an extension.
Per Will Guillory (via Evan Sidery), the Pelicans are unlikely to give Ingram an extension and it is more likely the 26-year-old gets traded this summer.
Brandon Ingram is unlikely to receive a max extension from the Pelicans, per @WillGuillory (https://t.co/JrZM3L9BlM).
Persistent buzz from New Orleans that it appears more likely Ingram is traded this offseason than receiving his desired full-scale deal. pic.twitter.com/YFrogWH6Wz
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) June 4, 2024
In his five seasons with New Orleans, Ingram has been very productive, and he has averaged 23.1 points and 5.2 assists a game during that time.
However, he himself has been injury-prone, and he hasn’t played in more than 64 games in a season since his rookie year during the 2016-17 campaign.
Yet he is one of the NBA’s best one-on-one players and a major offensive threat for the Pelicans.
For the last two years, some have tabbed the Pelicans as dark-horse championship contenders in the Western Conference, but they have failed to even come close to reaching that potential.
They could be at a crossroads now, as trading Ingram could mean that they will not even qualify for the play-in tournament next season, especially given Williamson’s injury woes.
They have made the playoffs in two of the last three seasons, but they haven’t won a playoff series since the 2017-18 season, which was one year before Ingram arrived and Williamson was drafted.
The post Pelicans Have Reportedly Made A Decision About Brandon Ingram’s Future appeared first on The Cold Wire.