The New Orleans Pelicans landed Atlanta Hawks star Dejounte Murray on Friday, giving up Dyson Daniels, E.J. Liddell, Larry Nance Jr. and two first-round picks for the talented guard. The trade should help New Orleans for the 2024-25 season, but it also could make it more difficult for the Pelicans to re-sign Brandon Ingram down the road.
Ingram is entering the final year of his contract, and while the Pelicans would like to keep him, it may not be possible, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.
“Listen, Brandon Ingram, his agent Jeff Schwartz and the Pelicans, they’d like to get an extension done,” Wojnarowski said on SportsCenter. “But this is a new world right now with the salary cap, and the idea that they would be able to max out Brandon Ingram for a second time becomes difficult with the roster they have, the payroll they have.”
Murray is under contract for two more years, after this year, at more than $30 million per season. There simply may not be enough money to go around for Ingram, which could lead to him being traded.
“I think this is going to be a dance for a while,” Wojnarowski said. “They’ve been open to looking at trades for Ingram. Their intent is to try and keep him, but I think there’s still uncertainty right now about what Ingram’s future is going to be in New Orleans.”
The 26-year-old Ingram is entering his ninth season in the NBA and his sixth with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Ingram was drafted in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft, No. 2 overall, by the Los Angeles Lakers. He spent three seasons in Los Angeles, before being traded to the Pelicans ahead of the 2019-20 season.
Brandon Ingram was named an all-star in 2020, which is the same year he won the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award.
For his career, he is averaging 19.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.
Ingram’s numbers dipped a bit this past season as he averaged less than 21 points per game for the first time since 2018-19. He also saw his 3-point average drop to 35.5 percent, after he shot 39 percent from 3 the previous year.
Still, if the Pelicans do decide to move him, there is sure to be a market for the talented veteran and former five-star recruit.
New Orleans is coming off of a 49-33 season in 2023-24. The Pelicans were swept in the first round of this year’s playoffs by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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