Pelicans offered Brandon Ingram trade to 76ers: report

While most of the Philadelphia 76ers trade and free agency rumors have been about Paul George, Kelly Iko of The Athletic reported that league sources say the New Orleans Pelicans have offered Brandon Ingram in negotiations commercial.

“Rumors have circulated that the Pelicans have suspended Ingram in trade talks (with the Houston Rockets) and in one iteration, a hypothetical trade of Ingram for Alperen Şengün was mentioned, but the Rockets have no interest, they said. team sources said,” Iko wrote on June 20. “League sources said New Orleans also contacted the Philadelphia 76ers regarding a possible Ingram trade. »

What would Brandon Ingram bring to the 76ers?

If it feels like Ingram has been in the league a long time, that’s because he has. As the second overall pick of the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2016 NBA Draft, Ingram entered the league at just 19 years old and is entering his ninth season in the NBA.

Ingram has proven to be a consistent scoring threat while also being a willing passer. Over his last five seasons, he averaged 23.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists with a shooting line of .472/.372/.847. The problem with Ingram is that he has an injury history and is not a difference maker on the defensive end.

Pairing two players who have never started more than 68 games in a season (Joel Embiid 68, Ingram 64) seems risky. That said, at just 26 years old, the 6-foot-8 forward might be the best non-George solution in the 76ers’ attempts to pair Embiid with a complementary second option.

Defensively, the 76ers will have difficulty ensuring continuity, because the renewal of their workforce will be important. Having a Defensive Player of the Year candidate in Embiid is a good start, and while Ingram won’t make any All-Defensive teams, he’s moving in the right direction. It’s an admittedly noisy metric, but according to NBA.com/stats, Ingram has only allowed opponents 0.8% better shots than their regular season averages in 2023-24.

The only other real problem is that Ingram doesn’t have playoff experience and his most recent disappearance has raised alarm bells. After a strong 2022 playoff series against the Phoenix Suns, averaging 27 points, 6.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists, Ingram only managed 14.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists. decisive in 2024 in a sweep at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

What could the 76ers offer?

Ingram is entering the final year of his five-year, $158 million contract he signed with the Pelicans in November 2020 and is set to earn $36 million for the 2024-25 season, which the 76ers are expected to match in salary outgoing. His pending free agency will play a role in any trade scenario, so expect an extension to be agreed to as part of the deal.

The 76ers currently only have four players under contract and the only one with a significant salary ($51.4 million in 2024-25) is Embiid. The 76ers would have to re-sign some of their free agents in order to raise the salary needed to move.

Draft compensation would also be likely, with the 76ers owning their own first-round pick in 2024, 2026, 2028, 2029 and 2030. They also control the Los Angeles Clippers’ 2028 first-rounder, which could be valuable.