Brandon Ingram has undoubtedly earned his keep this 2019-20 NBA season. The New Orleans Pelicans have obviously taken note of that so it comes to no surprise that they will try to keep the former top pick moving forward. However, there are now questions in the air on how bent the Pels are in keeping Ingram.
Back in November, Pelicans vice president David Griffin told the Undefeated that New Orleans has every intention of keeping the 22-year-old forward. Often referred to as the second coming of Kevin Durant, Ingram has been having a good NBA season. In 47 games, the 6-foot-7 cager has averaged career-best averages of 24.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. Set to become a restricted free agent, there is no doubt that Ingram deserves a big raise starting next season.
The fact that he is a restricted free agent means that the Pelicans can match any offer coming his way. Hence, does this mean that Griffin would prefer to see first how much teams are willing to pay for the second overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft? If this is the route that New Orleans will take, it comes with high risks.
Should Ingram receive a certain offer, one that is expected to be lucrative, do the Pelicans have enough resources to match it? Better yet, would they match that offer?
In the eyes of some, Ingram may be having a breakout year but is far from the player who deserves a max contract, ESPN reported that some unnamed executives believe that Ingram has not yet done enough to place himself in that niche.
There are others who believe that Ingram is living up to the hype since he entered the league. In fact, other unnamed executives feel that the Pelicans should already lock in the 22-year-old forward as early as now. Shelling out added cash for someone who obviously has promise is worth the investment according to them.
There is no doubt that Ingram looms as one of the big fish to get this summer. The only question there is whether it will be the Pelicans or some other NBA team. Either way, Ingram has finally found a way to unleash his real talent. With the Lakers, he showed signs of promise but was never able to break out. LeBron James was the star of the show and Ingram would find the road to stardom pretty tough. That has obviously changed now for him in New Orleans.
