Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram Stirs Trade Speculation With Instagram Post

September 1, 2024

It’s a dead time in the NBA, with college football having begun and the NFL kicking off next weekend. But not even that can keep the Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram out of trade rumors.

This time, Ingram himself may be to blame — though perhaps no fault of his own. Instead, Ingram posted a clip of a motivational speaker who talked about the importance of recognizing your value.

“You cannot stay in environments where people don’t know the true value of you,” the video began. “If you stay in environments where people don’t recognize the value of you, you will shrink your gift to the size of what they can stand.”

Well, Ingram is having a hard time getting a contract extension from the Pelicans. At least, they don’t want to pay him the max, it seems. And frankly, you cannot blame them. He’s an excellent player, but probably the third option on a true championship contender (and might be the third option on the Pelicans after the trade for Dejounte Murray).

So the Pelicans aren’t budging while Ingram’s camp seeks a full $208 million contract, per reports. And there has been talk that the Pelicans have explored multiple Ingram trade scenarios — though that buzz has died down lately. Until, perhaps, now.

Head of basketball operations David Griffin did address the Ingram situation back in June, and as always, Griffin was open and displomatic.

“Brandon wants to stay here. He believes in what we’re building,” Griffin told reporters, via Will Guillory of The Athletic. “That’s meaningful to us. … At the same time, there’s a financial reality that we all deal with. We’re excited about Brandon. We know he’s excited about us.”

Ingram averaged 20.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.6 blocks for the Pelicans in 2023-24, shooting 49.2% from the field, 35.5% on 3-pointers and 80.1% from the free-throw line.

He carries career averages of 19.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.6 blocks with the Los Angeles Lakers and Pelicans. His contract is up after the season.