New Orleans Pelicans rising star Brandon Ingram has truly come to his own after leaving Hollywood and moving to a smaller market team.
Apart from averaging career-highs in all major statistical categories this season, the 22-year-old swingman has also now met his starter criteria in his rookie scale contract.
According to ESPN's Bobby Marks, Ingram is now eligible to receive a $9.5M Qualifying Offer in the off-season as a result of him meeting the requirements of averaging 41 starts over the 2018-19 and 2019-20 season. He is currently still on the four-year, $23,823,685 contract he signed with the Lakers, with an annual average salary of $5,955,921.
With All-Star-worthy numbers of 25.2 points, 7.0 boards and 3.9 assists on 48.8 percent shooting from the field and 40.7 percent from three this season for the Pelicans, Ingram is certainly on pace for a pay grade sooner than later.
His 2016 draft mates Ben Simmons, Jamal Muray, Caris LeVert and Malcolm Brogdon have already signed massive extensions over the summer. Ingram, on the other hand, has shown flashes of potential superstardom early in his career, which is why the Lakers plucked him second overall in 2016 after just one year in Duke.
Apart from his inconsistent play in his three seasons with the Purple and Gold, Ingram has also been ravaged with injuries, forcing him to play less than 60 games in the last two years.
The Pelicans, meanwhile, will surely have a contract conundrum in their hands this year in terms Ingram's extension. An All-Star nod will no doubt raise his value even more and command a max salary close to what Simmons signed this year, but it won't likely happen this season given NOLA's record in the stacked Western Conference.
Still, Brandon Ingram has proven with the Pelicans that he is indeed a star for years to come and will likely break bank in the coming months.
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