During an interview with NBA writer Will Guillory of The Athletic, New Orleans Pelicans small forward Brandon Ingram talked about hearing his name come up in offseason trade rumors.
“With me, I’m not on social media that much,” Ingram said about NBA trade rumors. “So people will make a joke about it sometimes, or hit me up and ask me what’s going on with this thing they saw on TV. Most of the time, I’ll hear from the front office when that stuff pops up and they’ll tell me exactly what’s going on and how to feel about it. Any information that’s out there, they’ll clarify it and tell me if it was true or false.
“I’ve got a good relationship with (Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin). He’ll come straight to me and tell me anything. I’m not too into what everybody was putting out there, but none of it bothered me. I also know this (the NBA) is a business, though, and I’ve got to be prepared for anything.”
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Brandon Ingram & New Orleans Pelicans Updates
Ingram signed a five-year, $158.3 million contract with the Pelicans in November 2020. There were rumors circulating that New Orleans was interested in moving up in the 2023 NBA Draft to select Scoot Henderson and Ingram and Zion Williamson were available in trade talks. However, the Pelicans wound up keeping Ingram and Williamson.
Ingram averaged 24.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists for the Pelicans in 2022-23 while shooting 48.4% from the field, 39.0% from beyond the arc and 88.2% from the free-throw. However, the one-time NBA All-Star only appeared in 45 games, and according to NBA reporter Christian Clark of NOLA.com, Ingram’s inability to play through minor discomfort has frustrated some of his teammates.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Brandon Ingram & New Orleans Pelicans Updates
The Pelicans missed the NBA playoffs this year after making it in 2022. They lost the 9-10 play-in game at home to the Oklahoma City Thunder. It will be fascinating to see if Ingram and Williamson can stay healthy next season and lead New Orleans back to the NBA postseason.
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