The Sacramento Kings may have cost Brandon Ingram a max extension

After it was reported that the New Orleans Pelicans were unlikely to offer Brandon Ingram a max extension, his name has been on the trade block. One of the teams that has been connected to Ingram is the Sacramento Kings.

However, after the Kings orchestrated a sign-and-trade for DeMar DeRozan, their need for a bucket-getting forward has been fulfilled, effectively removing them from the Ingram race. Normally, this wouldn't be a huge deal, as the other teams bidding on the star's services would continue to do so until someone wins.

Unfortunately, in Ingram's case, it doesn't seem like he has any suitors, at least any who are willing to offer him a max extension. In a recent news dump from Jake Fischer, here is what the Yahoo Sports NBA Insider had to say about the situation:

""The Pelicans, league sources confirmed to Yahoo Sports, have not presented Brandon Ingram with an offer near his full maximum contract, and there does not appear to be a true option for Ingram to find that figure around the league now that Sacramento landed DeRozan.""

- Jake Fischer, Yahoo Sports

Ingram is a very good player, but he's more of a top 50 player than a top 25 one (he finished 60th in Estimated Plus-Minus last season and 51st the season before). Plus, his ball-dominant nature and slower decision-making make it hard to fit him next to other star players. Instead, you want to flank high-level role players alongside him, which are very difficult to come by.

Under the climate of the current collective bargaining agreement (CBA), it is very hard to give max money to players who aren't necessarily max players, as it can really limit a team's flexibility (because of the second apron).

One formula I like to use for estimating a player's production value (which I explained in this article) has Ingram's ideal 2024-25 salary at roughly 24.8 million dollars. That is less than half of the average annual value (52 million dollars) on the four-year, 208-million dollar extension Ingram is seeking.

It is still highly likely that the Pelicans trade Ingram (especially after trading for Dejounte Murray). But thanks to the Kings, it seems improbable that Ingram's new employer will be offering him a max extension.