NBA Trade Rumors: Brandon Ingram Deal a 'Priority' for Pelicans amid Contract Year

The New Orleans Pelicans are reportedly focused on finding a taker for veteran wing Brandon Ingram in the midst of his contract year.

According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon and Bobby Marks, trading Ingram "is the priority" for the Pels prior to the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

Ingram suffered a high-grade low left ankle sprain in early December, and he has missed the Pelicans' past nine games.

The 27-year-old Ingram has been his productive self when healthy this season, averaging 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.4 three-pointers made, while shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 37.4 percent from beyond the arc, but he has been limited to just 18 games.

Injuries have always been an issue for Ingram, who has played in 65 or more games in a season only once in his career, and not since his rookie campaign with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2016-17.

Last season, Ingram played in 64 games, which was the second-highest total of his career, but he is trending toward appearing in fewer than 60 games for the third time in the past four seasons.

For his career, Ingram averages 19.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, and the numbers look even better during his six-year run with the Pels, as he has averaged 23.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists.

In 2019-20, he was the NBA's Most Improved Player and was named an All-Star for the first and only time, and he has continued to put up impressive numbers since then even though remaining on the court consistently has been a struggle.

Ingram signed a five-year, $158.25 million maximum contract extension with the Pels in 2020, but they have been unable to come to terms on another new deal, meaning a trade is the best course of action for New Orleans so as to not lose him for nothing in free agency.

Entering the 2024-25 campaign, there was some thought that the Pelicans would ride it out with Ingram if they were contending and bound for the playoffs, but that clearly isn't the case.

In fact, the Pelicans are perhaps the biggest disappointment in the NBA this season, as their 5-28 mark is the worst in the league.

Injuries have been a major contributing factor since Ingram, Zion Williamson, Herbert Jones, Dejounte Murray and CJ McCollum have all missed significant time.

Given their talent, it is fair to wonder if the Pelicans may be capable of turning it around quickly and returning to the playoffs as soon as next season.

Getting a solid package of draft picks and players for Ingram would perhaps help accelerate the process, as would landing one of the top selections in the 2025 NBA draft and taking a potential franchise player in Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper or Egor Demin.

The Pelicans are already looking ahead to next season, but provided he can get healthy, Ingram is the type of player capable of playing a significant role for a contending team.

Ingram isn't likely a No. 1 or even No. 2 scoring option on a championship team, but he could be the ideal trade target for a team in need of an offensive spark down the stretch.