With trade options dwindling, can Pelicans find a Brandon Ingram solution that makes sense?

Amid the volatility surrounding free agency every year, decisions often come down to a simple numbers game.

In Brandon Ingram’s case, the numbers haven’t been working in his favor lately, leaving him with quite an uncertain future.

It started when the New Orleans Pelicans made it clear to him and his representation that they weren’t interested in signing the 26-year-old to the four-year, $208 million max extension Ingram was seeking this offseason, according to league sources.

The Pelicans have publicly expressed their desire to retain Ingram on multiple occasions, and he’s reciprocated this sentiment behind closed doors. However, the financial implications of this decision are significant. In the new NBA, where almost every team lives in fear of the repercussions that come with exceeding the second apron, handing out max money to players who lack no-brainer, max-caliber production can be devastating.

As this reality set in, Ingram getting traded felt like a forgone conclusion once free agency began.

New Orleans made a big trade before the start of free agency by acquiring Dejounte Murray from the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks were one of the main teams linked with the Pelicans in Ingram trade rumors since the end of the season for two reasons. First, Ingram made sense as a potential Murray replacement next to Trae Young. Secondly, the Hawks seemed motivated to break up the Murray/Young backcourt and featured several centers who could alleviate the Pels’ needs up front with Jonas Valančiūnas leaving in free agency.

As it turned out, Atlanta didn’t have much interest in giving Ingram his next contract or moving either of its top two centers (Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu), according to league sources.

So the Pelicans nabbed a new starting point guard — a priority going into the offseason — without giving up any substantial present talent in return. But including Larry Nance Jr. and Cody Zeller in that deal made the need for a center (or two) to complement Zion Williamson even more prominent and the questions about Ingram’s future even tougher to answer.

Philadelphia would have been another potential landing spot for Ingram before the Sixers filled their need on the wing with the Paul George signing. The same was true for Sacramento before the Kings acquired DeMar DeRozan via a sign-and-trade.

With those three teams no longer viable Ingram destinations, it’s difficult to find a sensible move that’ll allow Ingram to find a new, long-term home and the Pelicans to get what they need back in a trade. Teams like the Milwaukee Bucks and LA Clippers could use Ingram to boost their title chances, but would have trouble assuming the massive financial risk of acquiring him. Some combination of the Houston Rockets’ young pieces for Ingram makes some sense, but the Rockets are aiming higher in their quest to add a bigger superstar. Giving up valuable assets to add Ingram at this point would be shortsighted. On the other hand, teams like the Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets and Portland Trail Blazers that could take on the long-term financial risk of adding Ingram on a new deal are more interested in tanking for next year’s draft than getting a player about to enter the prime of his career.

Even the handful of remaining teams that could be sensible Ingram landing spots have their own complications.

Golden State is looking to make a splash (pardon the pun) this summer after losing Klay Thompson in free agency, but Ingram’s unpleasant experience with Team USA and Steve Kerr, the head coach of that team, in last year’s FIBA World Cup makes a long-term marriage seem unlikely.

The San Antonio Spurs are another team that could use some perimeter shot creation to complement budding superstar Victor Wembanyama. Yet the Spurs also signed veteran Chris Paul this summer, and one of the lowlights of Ingram’s career was when he threw a punch at Paul during an on-court brawl in 2018. Some of that tension between Paul and Ingram resurfaced in recent years as the Pelicans and Suns went back and forth during some of their highly emotional matchups. While both sides may have moved on after those old run-ins, San Antonio seems to be taking a more patient approach to building around Wembanyama, and adding Ingram on a big new contract would go against that vision.

The Spurs also have a similar problem as the Miami Heat — another team in need of a spark on the perimeter — when looking at potential Ingram trades: Neither team has a big man to put on the table who would entice the Pelicans. Any trade involving the Pelicans and one of these two teams would almost certainly have to involve at least a third squad to fill the Pelicans’ need at center. Perhaps the Spurs’ Zach Collins is a decent option in the middle, but there isn’t exactly a long line of teams hoping to make him their starting center.

Then, there are the two most obvious trade partners that are still lurking: the Cavaliers and Magic.

Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen and Orlando’s Wendell Carter Jr. are both players the Pelicans have coveted for some time, according to team sources. Each possesses qualities that New Orleans is looking for now and down the line at the position. Allen, in particular, is a player the Pelicans have kept tabs on for years. However, the Cavaliers have placed immense value on Allen’s contributions even though his offensive fit next to Evan Mobley has at times been clunky. The addition of Kenny Atkinson as Cleveland’s new head coach makes an Allen deal feel like more of a long shot; Allen thrived under Atkinson in their three seasons together in Brooklyn.

Trading for Carter, on the other hand, would likely require a complicated, multi-team deal, considering Ingram doesn’t make much sense as a fit next to Paolo Banchero and the recently extended Franz Wagner.

If Allen and Carter are both off the table, there may not be a viable starter available for the Pels to go after in a trade involving Ingram or anyone else. It could take weeks — maybe even months — to find a resolution.

Without an Ingram trade, the Pelicans would have to find some middle ground with their forward on an extension. There’s some optimism within the building that the two sides could come to terms on a deal that makes each happy. Both the Pelicans and Ingram agree that going into training camp without an extension is a distraction they’d prefer to avoid. That scenario certainly wouldn’t make sense for the Pelicans; finding value for him now is difficult enough, but trying to move him on an expiring contract at the trade deadline would be a nightmare.

Regardless of the decision on Ingram’s next contract, the terms of his potential extension won’t kick in until next season. The more pressing need is finding a legitimate starting option at center in free agency, as 20-year-old rookie Yves Missi is the team’s only center under contract. The Pelicans are hard-capped at the $178.1 million first apron, but they have enough room below that figure to sign a few bigs to short-term, inexpensive deals to fill out the roster.

However, the remaining unsigned center pool is about as shallow as it gets. What if the best option for a big man on an affordable deal is Daniel Theis? Bismack Biyombo? JaVale McGee? Orlando Robinson? None of those players are thrilling options, especially in a conference that features Nikola Jokić, Chet Holmgren, Anthony Davis and Wembanyama. (The Pelicans signed Theis to a minimum contract Monday, league sources told The Athletic). 

The bigger concern with a potential Ingram extension would be how it affects this group’s future financial flexibility. The Pelicans already have around $126 million in committed salary in 2025-26 without including new contracts for Ingram, Trey Murphy or Jose Alvarado. Locking up Murphy with an extension is a pressing need for New Orleans this summer, and the average annual value for that deal will almost certainly be closer to the $30 million range than $20 million.

It just isn’t feasible in the new CBA to keep all those big contracts on the books. Someone will have to go.

It may not be Ingram. There are ways the Pelicans can make enough moves to keep Williamson, Ingram and Murphy together for the foreseeable future. But making that happen won’t be easy, and it’s even less likely another move will yield a legitimate option at center.

Either way, the pressure on the Pelicans grows with each day they fail to solve their Brandon Ingram problem. Eventually, the hope for an ideal outcome must be put aside, in favor of the cold, unforgiving numbers.

(Top photo: Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images)