Report: Brandon Ingram’s lack of desire to re-sign with Utah killed Pelicans-Jazz trade

Per Shamit Dua, the New Orleans Pelicans and Utah Jazz were at one point in advanced talks on a trade that would’ve shipped off star forward Brandon Ingram to the Utah Jazz. But because Ingram didn’t want to re-sign on a deal to remain in Utah, the trade fell through the cracks and was never completed.

“Multiple league sources have relayed to me that the Pelicans and Jazz were deep in talks which were shut down by Ingram’s lack of desire to re-sign in Salt Lake City,” Dua wrote.

“This is important info, because it highlights that money is not presumably everything for Ingram. I do think it was in his best interests to just take the money, however. The cap landscape for next summer is a harsh one. Only the Brooklyn Nets project to have significant cap space, which will undoubtedly limit the number of Ingram suitors at the dollar figure he is seeking.

“Nonetheless, either Ingram just doesn’t want any part of Utah, or feels he can get comparable money in a better situation. This part remains to be seen and is what Klutch will be asked to tackle.”

Ingram is in his sixth season as a member of the Pelicans after he was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to New Orleans as part of the deal that landed Anthony Davis in Los Angeles. He is one of few key players for the Pelicans who hasn’t been ravaged by injuries so far in the 2024-25 regular season, as he’s suited up in 16 of the the team’s 20 contests.

The 27-year-old is also averaging a team-high 22.9 points per game while shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from 3-point range to this point in the 2024-25 campaign.

Though Ingram allegedly wasn’t all too keen on remaining with the Jazz, the Pelicans ironically have a worse record than Utah does at the moment. New Orleans sits at the very bottom of the Western Conference standings with a record of 4-16, while Utah has the second-worst record of any team in the West at 4-15.

The Pelicans have been on a recent stretch of especially unproductive play as well. New Orleans has lost every one of its past seven games, which marks the second-longest active losing streak in the NBA at this juncture. The Washington Wizards are riding a 14-game losing streak.

Unfortunately for Ingram and the Pelicans, the odds are stacked against them to snap their losing streak in their upcoming contest on Sunday night. New Orleans will take on the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, and the Knicks own the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference. New York also has an impressive 5-2 home record on the season compared to a road record of just 6-6.

The Knicks got off to a sluggish start to the campaign but have a 7-3 record over their last 10 contests.