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Brandon Ingram’s impending restricted free agency will be priority number one for the New Orleans Pelicans once the off-season officially opens up in the coming month. While it’s been more of a backburner topic for the team with Jrue Holiday’s potential trade market the main topic for now, part of the reason it’s been a non-discussion is that it’s largely been considered a foregone conclusion Ingram returns.
The Athletic’s Will Guillory said as much recently in an appearance on The Pure Hoops podcast. When asked about his impending free agency, Guillory indicated the Pelicans and Ingram were on the same page (h/t AHN Fire Digital).
“As far as BI goes, I mean I heard basically throughout the entire year that it was just a matter of time before they gave him his big contract. I think they feel really good about his fit with this team and the growth he showed last year. As a shooter, as the guy who was willing to take on the responsibility of being that No. 1 scorer, the guy who has that kind of burden every night, I think they love his fit next to Zion [Williamson].
So I think he’s going to get a huge contract. And they’re going to take care of that really quickly.”
At the end of the season, Ingram noted that New Orleans would be one of his top teams entering the off-season. During the season, Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin noted that both Ingram and Lonzo Ball had expressed a desire to return.
Ingram’s max contract figure will take a bit of a hit given the likely drop in the salary cap this off-season given last season’s struggles for the league. But it appears that won’t stop the two sides from reaching an agreement quickly in free agency, allowing the Pelicans to move onto other focuses.