The Pelicans have had their ups and downs this season, and in the middle of the season, they even ranked in the top five in the West, but as the season progressed, the Pelicans gradually fell behind, and finally finished in 7th place in the West with a 49-33 record and had to play the play-in tournament.
Although they won the play-offs with difficulty, they lost their important core Zion, and in the first round against the Youth Army Thunder, the Pelicans were overwhelmed and finally swept out 0-4.
After the exit, the Pelicans are also officially looking for a change, and according to HoopsHype reporter Michael Scotto, the Pelicans will not sign Ingram to a contract extension and they are looking for the possibility of trading him, which could be completed as soon as the offseason.
It is reported that the Magic, Warriors, Cavaliers, Hawks and 76ers may all be Ingram's next home. So why did the Pelicans trade Ingram? There are several main reasons.
1. The performance is not in line with expectations. In the Pelicans for 5 years, Yingge's performance has not been as good as year after year, and the highest attendance rate is only 64 games, this season he played an average of 32.9 minutes per game, scoring 20.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.7 assists, and the three-point shooting rate: 49.2%/35.5%/80.1%. The true shooting percentage is 57.8%, which is a new career low for the Pelicans.
The performance in the playoffs was also a mess, with 4 games, playing an average of 36.5 minutes per game, only 14.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1 steal, 1.3 blocks and 2.3 turnovers, with a three-point shooting rate: 34.5%/25%/89.5%, and a true shooting rate of 45.0%.
In the battle of life and death in G4, Yingge became the biggest culprit of the team's exit, he played 39 minutes in the whole game, shooting only 2 of 14 shots, 0 of 3 three-pointers, and only got 8 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists.
2. The chemical reaction with Zion is average. From 19 to 24 years, in these 5 years, the cooperation between the two did not achieve the effect of 1+1>2, of course, as for Zion's health, he only played a total of 184 games in 5 years, and the attendance rate was only 44.8%.
However, the management is more inclined to use Zion as the core of the team, after all, he is younger.
3, Yingge and the coach are at odds. In the playoffs G2, Yingge and head coach Willie Green had a verbal altercation in the locker room, with the former complaining that he had too little ball.
In a word, the pelican no longer trusts Yingge.
Yingge's current five-year, $158 million contract was signed with the Pelicans in 2020, the contract expires next year, and his salary is $36 million next season, and according to the rules, he is eligible to sign a four-year, $208 million contract extension with the Pelicans this summer.
But from the current point of view, the Pelican's desire to keep Yingge is not strong, and he has talent but can't really fulfill it, and for the 26-year-old Yingge, it's time to make a change.