Pelicans news: Brandon Ingram addresses not signing a contract extension with New Orleans

There has been much talk surrounding New Orleans Pelicans newcomer Brandon Ingram and his current contract situation. As...

There has been much talk surrounding New Orleans Pelicans newcomer Brandon Ingram and his current contract situation. As it stands, the 6-foot-9 forward is still on his current deal with his former side, the Los Angeles Lakers, which will make him a restricted free agent by the end of this season.

Speaking to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, Ingram explained why he has yet to put pen to paper on an extension deal with the Pelicans.

“I grew up playing basketball. I never thought about how much money I was going to get in the league,” he explained. “I always just said, ‘I just want to play basketball.’ I think everything is going to handle itself out. Me and Griff [David Griffin, Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations] have had conversations and I just came off a major injury that could have taken me out for the rest of my life, which was a blood clot.

“It’s a decision for him. ‘Are we going to do this at the right number? Are we going to just throw some extra money and say be here? Or are we going to do it the right way, and say let the thing linger around or take over a year or whatever time it seems to get fully healthy?’”

Ingram appears to have given this issue a lot of thought, exploring all possible scenarios at this point. However, when he was asked about his long-term plans with New Orleans, the 22-year-old was unable to provide a straightforward answer.

“We will see how the season goes,” he said. “We have a really, really good group. So, I don’t know. At the end of the season I can make a decision. But I really like this group.”

That's your typical non-committal response right there, which means that Ingram signing an extension with the Pelicans is currently anything but a foregone conclusion. The former second overall pick has bee simply outstanding to start his career with New Orleans, though, averaging 27.3 points (on 50.0 percent shooting), 9.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.3 blocks, while also connecting on 3.5 three-pointers per ballgame on a 50.0-percent clip. Whew!