Brandon Ingram, Pelicans Agree to Five-Year Max Deal

The New Orleans Pelicans and restricted free agent Brandon Ingram have agreed to a five-year, max contract, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports. The deal will keep the forward in New Orleans through 2024-25.

Ingram was eligible to sign for 25% of the 2019-20 cap figure because his deal will begin immediately, which explains why the $158 max is less than the $163 figure that’s been floated for the recent contract extensions that players like Jayson Tatum and Bam Adebayo have agreed to.

Ingram’s deal, thus, will start at $27.3 million and increased by 8% each year.

Ingram didn’t get a contract extension last offseason, prior to his fourth year, in part due to concerns about the blood clotting issue that ended his 2018-19 campaign prematurely.

Ingram rallied back from that incident and put forth a career year in his first season with the Pelicans. He averaged 23.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game for the Pels, shooting .391 from beyond the arc.