Early training camp reports give encouraging news on Brandon Ingram’s future

This has been one of the most important offseasons for Brandon Ingram in his career. He's entering a contract year, as he'll be an unrestricted free agent at season's end, unless he and the New Orleans Pelicans agree to an extension before June 30, 2025.

All reports coming out of Media Day, though, have suggested that the two sides are far from seeing eye to eye. It's been reported that Ingram is seeking a near-max contract for his next deal, one that will pay him over $200 million over four years. The Pelicans have been unwilling to meet that number.

There's still plenty of time for New Orleans and Ingram's camp to come to an agreement, but they're working against more than just the June 30 deadline. If Ingram's future isn't in the Big Easy, the ideal move would be to trade him this season to prevent losing him for nothing in free agency. There's also concern that the ongoing negotiations could bleed their way onto the team's on-court performance.

Vice President David Griffin has gone on record to say that he doesn't think that there'll be any negative effects from the contract talks. New Orleans is looking to have a purely progressive training camp — even with Trey Murphy's injury — and, so far, it appears that Brandon Ingram is having just that.

Brandon Ingram reportedly dominating early on in Pelicans training camp

According to Head Coach Willie Green, Brandon Ingram has been excelling in training camp, either showing that he's not distracted by his ongoing contract negotiations or proving just how motivated he is by them:

“He’s not just fitting in. He’s dominating. It’s really refreshing to see him come into camp [and] play at a high level, high speed. He’s focused on getting to the rim more. Making threes. He’ll still have his midrange game because he’s elite in those positions. But overall, his leadership and spirit has been really good.”

So far, Ingram has proven David Griffin correct. Whether the extension discussions are negligible or motivating to him is regardless. He hasn't only been meeting expectations as a player in training camp but exceeding them.

While this isn't concrete news regarding the contract situation in either direction, it is a great sign for Brandon Ingram's future with the Pelicans overall. That's because they'll need Ingram to be at his absolute best regardless of how this ordeal plays out. If they wind up agreeing to part ways, the Pelicans will want him performing at peak capacity before they trade him ahead of the deadline to maximize their return.

And if they do ultimately decide to extend their partnership, then Ingram showing significant signs of improvement will only speed that process along. If these reports of Ingram's performance in camp are true, then he might be making the strides needed to become an ideal complement to Zion Williamson and another cornerstone for the Pelicans moving forward.