Pelicans Brandon Ingram trade talks dead ahead of deadline

While at one point it seemed inevitable that Brandon Ingram would part with New Orleans Pelicans amid constant trade rumors, the partnership may last much longer than anyone expected.

Ingram has been out since early December, having missed the last 19 games with a sprained left ankle. Even though New Orleans is headed for a potential worst record in the NBA, it doesn’t look like the team will trade Ingram before the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline.

“Ingram’s name comes up very rarely in conversations with league personnel,” Jake Fisher he wrote on The Stein Line Substack. “It’s been that way since the former All-Star forward went down with an ankle injury on Dec. 7.”

“There’s a chance Ingram could return to New Orleans with about a week to go before the deadline, sources said, which would at least give potential suitors a more current reminder of his abilities.”

With little to no interest in the league and no recent tape to wrap up, Ingram could be a member of the Pelicans until the offseason, which seemed unlikely after the two sides couldn’t reach a contract extension last summer. And unfortunately, the numbers Ingram shot at last offseason may not be realistic this time either, which could lead to him staying in New Orleans.

“I’m told the Pelicans remain open to re-signing Ingram this summer after the parties failed to agree to a contract extension last offseason,” Fisher wrote. “Ingram, sources said, was not susceptible to offers from New Orleans that reached the $40 million average annual value range.” Still, it could be just as challenging for Ingram, who is making $36 million this season, to find that kind of money available on the open market this summer — just as Jimmy Butler’s oft-discussed pursuit of a high-dollar contract should he return -with -Miami Butler declines his $52.4 million player option for the season 2025-2026.

Fisher said the Pelicans are even “confident” that Ingram won’t simply walk away from the team and sign with another club in the offseason. Even if Ingram does reach a deal elsewhere, New Orleans seems to expect the deal to come via a sign-and-trade, which would give the Pelicans something in return for losing Ingram.

Ingram was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers with the second overall pick in the 2016 draft. The Lakers later traded him to the Pelicans in the summer of 2019 as part of the Anthony Davis deal. Ingram has been with the Pelicans ever since. He was a 2020 All-Star and averaged a career-high 24.7 points per game in 2022-23.