The recent NBA trade deadline may have been a bit calmer than people expected but that doesn’t mean the upcoming offseason won’t be full of surprises and wild trades and changes.
The Ringer rounded up a ton of possible scenarios that NBA fans could see this summer and touched upon something that many people have thought of: the New Orleans Pelicans might make some changes in the offseason.
An unnamed Eastern Conference executive told The Ringer, via NBACentral, that “New Orleans has to make a decision between Zion and Ingram. I think that happens this summer. ”
“New Orleans has to make a decision between Zion and Ingram. I think that happens this summer.” 👀
– Eastern Conference exec
(Via https://t.co/Y2elCbGeLR) pic.twitter.com/RscjgdyNwy
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 15, 2024
The Pelicans have a plethora of great young talent, all led by Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.
The problem is that they need to keep paying players more and more and that is hard for a team of their level.
There will come a time, perhaps soon, when the team decides to focus on one major star along with a bunch of supporting players behind him.
So, will it be Williamson or Ingram?
A few years ago, the answer would have clearly been Williamson, the top pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
But after years of multiple injuries and concerns about his conditioning and health, the team might instead focus on Ingram, who is averaging 21.4 points, 5 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game.
In an ideal world, the Pelicans would hold onto both Williamson and Ingram but that might not be possible with their salary issues.
Instead, they might have to trade one of these two stars away.
New Orleans is currently the sixth-best team in the West and has stayed mostly healthy for the season.
That is an encouraging sign but it still may not be enough to stop the front office from breaking the team up this summer.
NEXT: Brandon Ingram Was Not Happy About Not Being An All-Star