Brandon Ingram has a boatload of talent. That much is for certain. The New Orleans Pelicans, his team for the last five seasons, surely are aware of this. New Orleans may just have a disagreement with Ingram and his representation about how much he is worth on an extension. Due to this, there have been many trade rumors involving the 26-year-old, but for now, he still remains with the Pelicans.
A recent story on his Instagram from an inspirational speaker has many speculating if he is telling New Orleans that he feels underappreciated.
Pelicans Forward Seems To Take Subtle Shot At Team On IG Story
Ingram Looking For Max Extension
Ingram has one year remaining on his deal with New Orleans at a tad over $36 million. The eight-year veteran is eligible to receive a four-year extension worth $208 million. It has been reported that he is seeking to receive the max extension from the Pelicans.
New Orleans has reportedly been hesitant to do so. That is why many believe this Instagram story from Ingram is a subtle shot at the Pelicans. Here is what the inspirational speaker had to say.
Ah… the NBA is real quiet, literally nothing happening… All the trades seem to be done…
Oh hey Brandon Ingram Just posted this! pic.twitter.com/kXfNpndGZV
— Nick Angstadt (@NickVanExit) August 30, 2024
“You cannot stay in environments where people don’t know the true value of you. If you stay in environments where people don’t recognize the value of you, you will shrink your gift to the size of what they can stand.”
One who is aware of the potential extension that Ingram has yet to receive can read between the lines and realize why he posted this. Is it a part of a ploy to get the Pelicans to deal him if they don’t offer him that max extension, and they know he will be disgruntled?
20+ Point Per Game Scorer Annually
Ingram’s body of work is at least enough to put him in the discussion of deserving a max extension. It can be argued that lesser players have previously received one.
Selected second overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2016, Ingram was one of the key pieces coming back to the Pelicans in the 2019 trade that sent Anthony Davis to the Lakers. His first season with New Orleans in 2019-20, Ingram was named the Most Improved Player. He was also named to his first All-Star Game.
While he hasn’t been named an All-Star since, Ingram has still produced. The six-foot-nine forward has averaged more than 20 points in each of his five seasons with New Orleans. Altogether with the team, Ingram has averages of 23.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.2 assists.
2024 Playoff Struggles
The last time Ingram was seen playing in the NBA though, he looked the furthest thing from a max player. Zion Williamson was injured in New Orleans’ first Play-In Tournament game against the Lakers. They lost that outing, but followed that by beating the Sacramento Kings, thus earning the eighth seed.
That gave the Pelicans a first round postseason matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder. With Williamson unable to play in the series, Ingram was now the focal point of the Pelicans attack. Let’s just say it didn’t go very well for Ingram or the Pelicans.
New Orleans was swept by the Thunder, and Ingram certainly had his struggles. After shooting nearly 50% from the field during the regular season, Ingram connected on just 34.5% of his field goal tries in the series. In Games 1 and 4 which were decided by single digits, Ingram combined to shoot 7-31. That playoff performance could have further caused New Orleans to hesitate offering him a max extension, as well as other teams to offer a trade for Ingram knowing that he will want a large extension as well.
