Brandon Ingram’s future continues to be one of the biggest mysteries of this offseason market, as he has been heavily linked to Golden State since the start of the summer. One thing for sure is that he is looking for certainty in his career, even if it is in New Orleans or elsewhere, as the 27-year-old is set to enter free agency next year.
Reports suggest that his most likely landing spot is in San Francisco, as it has been stated several times by NBC Sports Bay Area‘s Monte Poole, who has explicitly mentioned that “any chance of him coming to Golden State is minuscule.”
The context of his remarks go all the way to the Warriors’ November 2020 trade for former Oklahoma City Thunder wing Kelly Oubre Jr. “In the eight years since [Kevin Durant] departed, the Oubre deal is the only individual move made under the theory that it alone would be enough to keep the Warriors among the contenders.
Brandon Ingram did not attend a week-long voluntary minicamp held by the Pelicans players in California, per @WillGuillory
The minicamp featured every player on the roster except Ingram and recent signee Daniel Theis.
The Pelicans believed Ingram would be there, but he never… pic.twitter.com/7bxRLlpWPl
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 5, 2024
“Every move since, including the addition of Chris Paul last summer, was made to supplement the roster rather than expand its core,” the reporter assured, before turning the page to the possibility of Ingram filling in that space.
The insider compared both situations. “Much of that approach is related to the Oubre experience. No longer are the Warriors willing to jeopardize their bottom line, sacrifice a bundle of draft picks or disrupt their roster for anyone who doesn’t rate a consensus,” Poole explained.
“Brandon Ingram, to cite an example, is among those who, according to sources, does not meet that level. There’s enough pro/con that any chance of him coming to Golden State is minuscule,” he insisted.
The 27-year-old is about to enter his 9th campaign in the NBA and should have many franchises interested in him, especially after averaging 20.8 points on 49.2% shooting, 5.7 assists and 5.1 rebounds per contest.
Reports also guarantee that the athlete has been looking for an extension in New Orleans that could be worth over $200 million through four seasons
One of the first to the scene was NBA insider Marc Stein, who back in July explained how the former Blue Devils forward is seeking for a four-year deal worth $208 million to stay with the Pelicans. However, the extension still hasn’t come through, despite a team’s executive assuring they want him back.
“We’ve been really clear, we’d prefer Brandon stay with us,” said the vice president of basketball operations David Griffin on Sirius XM. “And Brandon has been pretty clear, he prefers to stay with us.”
Nevertheless, the New Orleans executive explained that many things can happen and that for now they are simply going to “play it out.” Let’s remember that the Pelicans already traded in for Dejounte Murray and have secured other core players for the upcoming campaign.
“There is a financial reality to this. And where I think we can go in terms of keeping this group together, might not be as far as he and his agency would like us to be able to go. So for now, we’re going to play it out. I think we’re committed to each other and committed to seeing if this team can work in a way that makes sense,” Griffin said.
