With the New Orleans Pelicans’ season practically finished, the team’s management is now turning its attention to the future.
The Pelicans are currently 5-28, the worst record in the NBA, with injuries being the main factor behind their poor performance. Almost every player on their roster has missed time this season, including their four key players: Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, C.J. McCollum, and Dejounte Murray.
As their season has come to an end, the team faces decisions about their roster—whether to keep their core group or start rebuilding. Earlier in the season, there were reports that the Pelicans had made all players available for trade talks, except for Yves Missi, Herbert Jones, and Trey Murphy III, though no trades have been made yet.
A new focus has emerged for the Pelicans’ front office this season, according to a report.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks and Tim MacMahon revealed that finding a new team for Brandon Ingram is now a priority for New Orleans.
“The 5-28 Pelicans, whose playoff hopes were destroyed by injuries, are focused on moving one of Williamson’s teammates ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline,” Marks and MacMahon wrote.
“Finding a trade for injured forward Brandon Ingram, a former All-Star in a contract year whose extension talks have repeatedly fizzled, is the priority for the Pelicans’ front office, sources told ESPN.”
Ingram, in the final year of his contract, has not been able to reach a new agreement with the team, so New Orleans is looking to trade the 27-year-old before he becomes a free agent this summer. He has had a solid season, averaging 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game, shooting 46.5% from the field and 37.4% from three-point range.
Though Ingram is still recovering from a serious ankle injury, which may affect the trade offer New Orleans receives, his skills will likely attract many teams in need of a star forward. Expect him to be traded before the February 6 deadline.
