Pelicans rumors: NOLA expected to hand big contract to Brandon Ingram

First-time All-Star forward Brandon Ingram is a restricted free agent this offseason, and the Pelicans are rumored to be backing up the Brinks truck for him

The New Orleans Pelicans are believed to be interested in offering former No. 2 overall pick Brandon Ingram a hefty contract as soon as possible.

As part of a recent podcast appearance, Will Guillory of The Athletic noted that the Pelicans have long been interested in such an offer, and they will be looking to hand it out as soon as possible. New Orleans seems to like the idea of Ingram playing alongside Zion Williamson for their future:

“As far as Brandon Ingram goes, I heard basically throughout the entire year that it was just a matter of time before they gave him his big contract,” Will Guillory of The Athletic said on The Pure Hoops Podcast. “I think they feel really good about his fit with this team and the growth he showed last year. As a shooter, as the guy who was willing to take on the responsibility of being that No. 1 scorer, the guy who has that kind of burden every night, I think they love his fit next to Zion. So I think he’s going to get a huge contract. And they’re going to take care of that really quickly.”

Though this seems like a sound plan, there will be some financial hurdles along the way for the Pelicans. The NBA's salary cap for the coming season is in question due to the coronavirus pandemic and its ramifications on the league's overall revenue. The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association are currently workings towards starting the 2020-21 season under mutually agreeable terms.

Sources The NBA and NBPA are discussing a minimum of 2 percent annual growth in the salary cap and luxury tax for the duration of the collective bargaining agreement. Cap is expected to be $109M this offseason.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 6, 2020

Ingram has proven to be an efficient scoring option for the Pelicans. In his 62 appearances during the 2019-20 regular season, he racked up averages of 23.8 points on 46.3 percent shooting from the field (39.1 percent from beyond the arc), 6.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists.

For now, we'll have to wait and see what sort of offer the Pelicans will be able to make for Ingram.