NBA Trade Rumors: 6 Teams who should be willing to pay Brandon Ingram max money

NBA Trade Rumors: Six teams that should be willing to pay Brandon Ingram max money after trading for him.

The New Orleans Pelicans have qualified for the NBA Postseason for three straight years. They only qualified for the NBA Playoffs in two of the last three years, having lost in the Play-In Tournament during the 2022-23 season. But overall, the Pelicans have been somewhat competitive in the Western Conference of late. The problem for New Orleans is that they haven't exactly taken a bit step forward in their development each of the past three seasons, and that's a problem considering they have to commit to this core or retool it this summer.

Brandon Ingram is entering the final year of his contract and is due for a huge extension. The initial reporting heading into the offseason suggests that the Pelicans aren't willing to pay Ingram the big-money extension that he's likely going to demand. That could naturally open the door for a trade.

As we inch closer and closer to that possibility, we explore six teams that may be more willing to pay Ingram the max extension that he's seeking if the Pelicans aren't going to do so.

Chicago Bulls

Even though the Chicago Bulls intend on trading Zach LaVine this offseason, they don't want to pivot toward a complete rebuild. Whether or not that will be possible remains to be seen, but the Bulls are going to attempt to pull that off.

I can't help but wonder if the Bulls would be open to trading for Brandon Ingram. If the Bulls want to remain competitive, making a move for - and then paying - Ingram could be an option that the team may be willing to take. I'm not sure if this move would make a ton of sense for the Bulls moving forward, but they may be willing to explore such a move if it meant them remaining competitive in the Eastern Conference.