Brandon Ingram’s pursuit of a max contract seemingly hits brick wall

The DeMar DeRozan trade could prove to be a big win for the Sacramento Kings, but from the sound of it, the deal may also have been a lose-lose for the New Orleans Pelicans and Brandon Ingram.

As Ingram eyes a big payday, the potential to push for a max deal is not far-fetched based on his skill set and upside alone. However, the big question remains where that max contract could come from, as the Pelicans currently have Zion Williamson ($36.7M), Ingram ($36M), C.J. McCollum ($33.3M) and Dejounte Murray ($29.5M) all on the books.

New Orleans trading Ingram and getting assets in return to save on the salary cap makes sense. And as Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported, they haven't offered Ingram anything close to a full max deal yet. But per Fischer, after DeRozan's trade to the Kings, there isn't a likely trade option that will come close to that either.

"The Pelicans, league sources confirmed to Yahoo Sports, have not presented Brandon Ingram with an offer near his full maximum contract, and there does not appear to be a true option for Ingram to find that figure around the league now that Sacramento landed DeRozan," Fischer wrote.

In short, the Pelicans and Ingram are both essentially stuck.

It's worse for the franchise than Ingram, who has one year remaining on his current deal and could seek a new contract in free agency next offseason. But in the hypothetical where the Pelicans don't trade Ingram this offseason, there's a decent chance he'll move before the 2024-25 NBA trade deadline. There are bound to be multiple potential suitors that would benefit from adding the 26-year-old in a title push.

Time will tell, but it seems the Pelicans and Ingram may be poised to sit tight and see how things play out. Even still, don't be surprised if Ingram isn't in New Orleans beyond next season's trade deadline.