When the Pelicans and Brandon Ingram discussed an extension during the offseason, he and his representatives at Excel Sports Management were seeking $50MM per season, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Insider link). Previous reporting indicated that Ingram was pursuing a maximum-salary extension, which would’ve been worth up to $208MM over four years, so an ask of $50MM per season would’ve been in the neighborhood of his max.
As Charania explains, based on their current commitments, the Pelicans project to be $31MM below the tax in 2025/26, so re-signing Ingram to a $45MM+ starting salary would’ve pushed that figure well beyond the tax line and into apron territory, which probably isn’t feasible for a team that has never been a taxpayer.
The Pelicans value Ingram highly and are expected to keep the door open for a potential extension now that the forward has changed agents and is represented by Klutch Sports, Charania writes, but a trade is considered the more likely outcome, given the team’s financial outlook.
When New Orleans’ front office discussed possible Ingram trades over the summer, the Timberwolves were among the teams to show interest, sources tell Charania. However, a deal would’ve needed to be centered around Karl-Anthony Towns, and it likely only would’ve been viable if the two teams had reached an agreement during the 2023/24 season, before Towns’ super-max extension went into effect.
According to Charania, with the injury-plagued Pelicans off to a dismal 5-20 start this season, rival teams have begun to express interest in players like Herbert Jones and CJ McCollum. Charania doesn’t say whether or not New Orleans will consider moving either player, but I’d imagine the front office would be very reluctant to make a trade involving Jones, who is the team’s most valuable defensive player.
Here’s more from Charania:
- Multiple teams have begun to express interest in veteran Trail Blazers trade candidates Jerami Grant, Anfernee Simons, and Robert Williams, sources tell Charania. Grant and Simons have gotten off to slow starts this fall and Williams has a concerning injury history, but the three players are still among Portland’s most valuable – and most logical – trade chips.
- Several contending teams are expected to pursue Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma this season, Charania reports. Kuzma has been limited to just 12 outings for health reasons and has seen his offensive output dip in the early going (15.8 PPG, .420/.276/.688 shooting) but has a strong track record as a scorer and is on a contract with a team-friendly declining structure.
- There’s optimism that injured Suns star Kevin Durant could return from his ankle sprain on either Friday in Utah or Sunday vs. Portland, Charania writes. While Phoenix obviously won’t want to rush back its leading scorer, it has been night and day for the team this season when Durant is available (11-2 record) and when he isn’t (1-9).
- In case you missed it, we passed along a few more items from Charania earlier today in separate full stories.