While the New Orleans Pelicans have certainly made moves this off-season since the trade embargo was lifted at the start of the week, the one that most expected, and hoped, would come has not yet been completed. Brandon Ingram’s breakout season in New Orleans made him a fan favorite and forced the Pelicans’ hand in negotiations this summer as he was expected to get a massive contract swiftly at the start of free agency.
However, with more than 24 hours having passed since the start of free agency, Ingram’s name has hardly been mentioned aside from a pair of tweets from Marc Stein of the New York Times reaffirming that he would receive a max deal. The Athletic’s Will Guillory explained the delay in Ingram’s contract.
“The All-Star forward was, and still remains, the biggest priority for New Orleans this offseason, but the team has prioritized finalizing their complicated Holiday trade before handing Ingram what’s expected to be a four- or five-year max contract.”
Originally reported at the start of the week, the Jrue Holiday trade morphed from a Bucks-Pelicans deal to a multi-team trade that will eventually net the team Thunder center Steven Adams. It’s likely that the Pelicans and Ingram have already held discussions and the framework of a deal is in place that both sides are happy about, allowing New Orleans to turn its attention to the complicated multi-team trade.
Ingram’s max contract, should it be a five-year contract, will come in just north of $158 million.
