It's paywalled but here's the relevant Pels portions, emphasis mine:
Ingram, for his part, made a seismic shift in recent weeks, signing with Klutch Sports Group for his new representation with agents Shy Saee, Mike George and CEO Rich Paul. To understand how Ingram got here, it's important to study the offseason.
The Pelicans and Ingram engaged in contract extension conversations in addition to canvassing the league for a trade. Ingram's previous representation sought $50 million per season in a contract extension, sources said, which was near his maximum number. No deal occurred. The Pelicans, already over the luxury tax line this season, are facing higher salary cap bills for years to come. Executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin has taken a sustainable approach to roster building without going into the tax — New Orleans has never been a taxpaying team — but signing Ingram to a pricey extension would push the Pelicans not only over the tax but into the apron, further restricting how they add to their roster. The offseason acquisition of Dejounte Murray and recent extension of Trey Murphy III have pushed the Pelicans' payroll next season to $157 million, $31 million below the luxury tax.
The Pelicans discussed trades with multiple teams over the summer, but no concrete offer made sense. A level of interest came from the Minnesota Timberwolves, sources told ESPN, and they would have needed to put together a trade concept around Karl-Anthony Towns for Ingram. The window to get a deal done for both teams, however, needed to come during the 2023-24 season, not the offseason, because Towns still would have been under his old contract.
Taking on Towns — entering the first year of a four-year, $224 million supermax deal — would have made a trade extremely difficult, especially as New Orleans drafted No. 21 overall pick Yves Missi, who has shown flashes as a high-level center of the future.
So the Pelicans stood pat and believed that the current roster was the most talented ever assembled in New Orleans. And the case is strong for that. The Pelicans' top rotation players appeared promising on paper heading into the season: Ingram, Zion Williamson, Murray, Herb Jones, Murphy, CJ McCollum, Missi, Jose Alvarado and Daniel Theis. All season long, however, it has been a revolving door of injuries.
The Pelicans are currently 5-20, in last place in the Western Conference, and now Ingram is out indefinitely with a significant low left ankle sprain. Williamson also remains sidelined indefinitely with a left hamstring strain suffered on Nov. 6. The Pelicans' three All-Stars — Ingram, Williamson and Murray — have yet to play together. Teams have already started expressing interest in the Pelicans' supporting cast players, such as Jones and McCollum.
Now, Ingram's new representation will remain in constant dialogue with Griffin on the 27-year-old's future. Because of their financial situation, the Pelicans are unlikely to reach Ingram's current salary annually on an extension, making the trade route much more likely than a long-term deal, league sources said. New Orleans values Ingram highly, though, and is expected to keep the extension door open with him, those sources said.
Ingram has averaged 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists this season.
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I think I speak for everyone when I say that other teams will only trade for Herb over my dead body
7 comments
“Can we have Herb”
“No”
Reckon thats how those talks will go
I think I’d give up if we traded Herb.
The pelicans could have had KAT but ownership was too cheap. That’s the main story to take away from this.
Trading players you like is never easy and I don’t want Herb going anywhere. But realistically what does keeping Herb do. This team’s ceiling is the play in and the floor is 5-20. The guys who have never been available their entire career will never be available. Herb is 26 in his prime on a great contract. He could be the lynchpin a contender is willing to mortgage their future for to win now.
The options are:
Retool the roster around Herb, Trey, djm, and Missi.
Trade everyone, take on players who are looked at as burdens and rehabilitate them and then flip them for more picks while tanking (OKC did a phenomenal job at this and turned into a juggernaut [I don’t think Grift will do this because it signals that he has blown the golden opportunity he was given when he started])
Run it back with the injury boys for year 7 which undoubtedly will never ever ever work but with this front office who knows.
The front office WILL be trading someone at or before the trade deadline. Gayle has never paid the tax and she will not pay the tax for a roster that is 5-20, it is a guarantee that someone or multiple people are gone before February 7.
Herb is one of 3-4 that I’d say are untouchable alongside Trey, Missi and Alvarado.
I love Herb and Id want to keep him, but I also feel sorry for him being stuck on this God forsaken team. He’s wasting his prime here, as much as it hurts to say it.
If we trade Herb I am going to become an absolute nuisance in the blender