After exiting in the first round of the playoffs, the New Orleans Pelicans seem determined to break up the current forward duo. According to Evan Sidery of The Athletic, the Pelicans have made it clear that they will not offer forward Ingram a four-year, $208 million contract extension, and will instead choose to trade him to bring in another star player to partner Zion.
In the 2016 draft, Ingram was selected by the Lakers with the second pick in the first round to enter the league, and although he is not yet 27 years old this year, he has played in the league for eight seasons, including the 2019-20 season, where he was not only named Defensive Player of the Season, but also selected to the All-Star team.
In the last five seasons, he has averaged more than 20 points per game, and this past season, he averaged 20.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game in 64 games, shooting 49.2% overall and 35.5% from three-point range.
Ingram is an all-rounder on the offensive end, with the ability to play alone in the low post, and can also attack with the ball, and the distance in one hand is even more chic and elegant, but the slight deficiency is that the stability is poor, and because Zion lacks projection ability, and his breakthrough needs space, the two styles of play do not match, which is the main reason why the Pelicans refused to renew his contract.
But the arsenic of this is the honey of the other. Ingram doesn't fit the Pelicans, but he's the perfect piece of the puzzle for the rest of the team.
For example, the Golden State Warriors, according to the American media Heavy Sports, two "unnamed" anonymous team executives revealed that the Warriors listed Ingram as the team's target.
With Wiggins' form plummeting, they have been so competitively less competitive this season that the team has failed to make the playoffs, and whether it's to grab Curry's final peak or to maintain the team's market value, they need to bring in a star forward like Ingram. Young players such as Kuminga and Moody, as well as Paul's expiring contract, are all chips that the Warriors can provide.
In addition to the Warriors, the Lakers are also one of Ingram's potential next homes. The Purple and Gold have made the playoffs this season but have fallen to the Nuggets for the second year in a row, and James, the team's star of the team, said that unless the team brings in a third star to give him a championship hope, then Ingram is undoubtedly an excellent choice.
Not only can Ingram provide a consistent scoring point for the team, but it can also greatly improve the quality of the wing defense. The Lakers currently have a number of immediate players in their playing years, such as Hachimura, Reaves, Russell, and Vanderbilt, who can be used as important bargaining chips in their pursuit of Ingram.
For Ingram himself, whether it is the Warriors or the Lakers, it is a good choice, both teams have superstars at the end of their careers (James and Curry), both have incomparable super traffic, in these two teams, he can not only have a very high level of attention, greatly enhance his attention and commercial value, after the retirement of the two predecessors, he will have the opportunity to become the team's number one star, the absolute core.