Source: Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram trade market considered ‘mild’

If the series sweep to the Oklahoma City Thunder was the end of the Zion Williamson-Brandon Ingram era, it’ll be somewhat ‘bittersweet’ for the Pelicans. Injuries wrecked what could have been one of the most exciting young small market pairings since Shaq and Penny starred with the Orlando Magic. This season was no different.

Williamson’s season ended in the NBA Play-In Tournament round. Ingram (knee) went down a few weeks before the NBA Playoffs began and was obviously hampered upon returning. Ingram tried to fight through pain and Lu Dort’s defense to no avail. He fell far short of an All-Star level and the Pelicans never scored over 100 points in four consecutive defeats.

EVP David Griffin knows this was not how anyone expected the season to end but credited Ingram for not shying away from the moment.

“I really appreciate Brandon because he takes so much personal responsibility for this (series sweep),” Griffin shared. “He cares so much. I also love the fact that he loves this franchise. He loves this city and wants to be here. We’re grateful we’ve built something people want to be a part of. I think Mrs. Benson and her team should be very proud of what they’ve built. That we have so many guys that want to stay a part of this.”

“(Ingram’s) willingness to take ownership of things makes you feel even better about the human he is and that’s the one thing that I’m really proud of,” continued Griffin. “I think we’ve gotten the people part of this right to an enormous degree throughout this roster. I expect that will carry us through the summer as well.”

As for a future contract extension, the Griffin played things coy.

“I’ve never talked to him about it,” Griffin stated. “I haven’t talked to him at all. I just had a great deal of appreciation for what he tried to do in light of the situation of playing through what he played through. Coming back in that way, he was thrown into a difficult situation. I think Willie (Green) alluded to it last night. To be injured for a month and come back to play in the crucible of playoff basketball is not easy.”

The New Orleans front office and Ingram’s agents will approach this situation with caution and patience. The Pelicans can get creative with contract extensions of varying lengths to spark crafty negotiations. The team and player both know how delicate things can be, especially with injury-prone All-Star-level talents harboring championship aspirations.

“You’d like to think it’s just plug-and-play with a star,” Griffin admitted with a tone of defeat. “You’re just going to plug in another superstar and carry on but one of the things Brandon and (Williamson) have had to do a lot of is carry the team while the other is out…It was a very difficult end of the season for Brandon but I think it was difficult for everybody.”

The organization cannot let the situation go unresolved this summer. The coming decision to trade or extend Ingram is perhaps the most difficult decision this front office will have to make. The trade for Ingram, the Jrue Holiday divorce, and the coaching carousel pales in comparison. Getting this Ingram decision wrong would put multiple jobs on the line. Green might be the first to go if it all goes bad, but the buck stops with Griffin.