Summer Speculation Lending To An Interesting Offseason For The Pelicans

The NBA playoffs are over for New Orleans, but the Pelicans are front and center in the league rumor mill.

Apr 19, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) against / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

New Orleans, LA - The New Orleans Pelicans season ended nearly two weeks ago, but they are still very relevant in the news. Rumors are circulating about what offseason moves the team will, or won't make, to improve a roster that hasn't been past the first round in the last three seasons. Under Head Coach Willie Green, the Pelicans have improved their win total in all three seasons under his watch, but fan sentiment is the team is underachieving. The biggest speculation surrounds Brandon Ingram and his future in New Orleans.

Ingram enters the offseason with a year remaining on his current deal and is eligible for a max 4-year, $208 million contract extension. New Orleans has never paid into the luxury tax, and the Pelicans have $106 million tied up in contracts to Ingram, Zion Williamson, and CJ McCollum next season. NBA Insider Michael Scotto thinks Brandon Ingram is the Pelicans most likely to be traded this offseason. Scotto hosts the HoopsHype Podcast and said NBA executives around the league feel Ingram may be the odd man out in New Orleans.

During his podcast's latest episode, Scotto revealed why Ingram may be on the move this summer. "Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram is considered the most likely player to be traded by rival executives who spoke with HoopsHype". Scotto continued, "Those executives believe the fit with Ingram and Zion isn’t ideal on the court. With Ingram entering the final season of his contract at $36 million, he’s been a trade candidate before, but he’s a prime trade candidate now."

It's unsure what Ingram's trade value would be, considering his disappointing playoff showing against the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he averaged just 14 points a game on 35% shooting. He was named an All-Star and won the Most Improved Player Award in 2020 and is coming off a season where he played the most games since his rookie year. Still, his fit with Zion Williamson on the court seems mismatched because of Ingram's unwillingness at times to shoot three-pointers. With B.I. liking to operate in the midrange and Williamson constantly in the paint, the Pels offense at times operates too closely together on the court. 

Apr 29, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) looks on / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Pelicans Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin said during the team's exit interviews that there would be "a sense of urgency" this summer to improve the roster. New Orleans won 49 games this season, the second most in franchise history, but yet found themselves needing to win a Play-In Tournament game to secure the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. In past years, health would be the main focus on whether New Orleans could compete in the Western Conference. While Zion Williamson did miss the playoffs because of a hamstring injury, he played the most regular season games of his career (70) this year, and New Orleans still barely scrapped their way into the playoffs. 

Griffin hinted at considering all options on the table to improve this Pelicans roster. "Knowing now, because we have seen this group enough, I think we will be able to address some of that. But certainly, we have to be open to a lot of different things." Aside from a decision on Ingram, center, Jonas Valanciunas is set to be an unrestricted free agent. The Pelicans have long needed to get more athletic at this position, with someone capable of stretching the floor with Williamson on the court. Valnciunas averaged 1.5 attempts from deep per game this season, averaging 30% from distance. Jonas played all 82 games this year but averaged 23.5 minutes a game. Valanciunas found himself getting pulled to start a lot of third quarters and didn't play a single minute of the third quarter of Game 3's loss in the playoffs. 

Valnciunas appears to have played his last game for the Pelicans, and New Orleans could use Ingram in a trade to get back an athletic big man to pair in the frontcourt with Williamson. Or the Pelicans could hitch their wagon on a 26-year-old scorer in Ingram to continue to mesh with Williamson's superstar talent to try to make New Orleans a viable contender. Either way, this summer sets up an important one for the Pelicans, where their decisions could have a ripple effect for years to come.