New Orleans Pelicans may have lost Brandon Ingram trade partner with Utah Jazz injury

Over the summer, one of the biggest stories in the NBA was what the future would hold for New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram.

Looking for a lucrative contract extension, which the team was unwilling to give him, trade rumors swirled. It felt like a matter of when, not if, the former No. 2 pick would be on the move.

Ingram was no longer a fit for their long-term plans, sparking the speculation. While plenty of trade ideas were shared, nothing materialized as the Pelicans seemed intent on keeping him on the roster through the start of the regular season.

That ended up being a good thing, as injuries to Trey Murphy in training camp and Dejounte Murray in the season opener have left the team without wing depth and playmakers on offense.

Once the team is healthy on the edge again, the trade rumors will likely pick up. New Orleans would benefit from balancing their roster and finding a more established player at center so that rookie Yves Missi isn’t put too much at the plate.

One of the teams mentioned as a potential trade suitor for Ingram was the Utah Jazz. Alas, you can almost certainly cross them off the list at this point due to a devastating injury that occurred Monday night.

While playing against the Dallas Mavericks in what ended up being a 110-102 loss, forward Taylor Hendricks suffered a gruesomely broken right fibula and dislocated ankle.

“It’s tough to hold on,” Hardy said of Hendricks’ injury, via ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “He’s put in a lot of hard work. He’s a great kid and so we’re really just trying to focus on him, his health, keeping him up, his spirits up as he starts on the road to his recovery. But these are the moments in sports that suck.”

Midway through the third quarter, the 2023 first-round pick from Central Florida collapsed to the floor despite making no contact. A stretcher was immediately brought out and he was placed in a protective boot.

With his season over, the Jazz’s starting lineup and rotation will change. John Collins could take over the starting power forward role again, likely taking the Jazz out of the Ingram sweepstakes.

The framework of the fake trades between the two teams involved Collins and Walker Kessler going to New Orleans in exchange for the former All-Star forward. Getting rid of two frontcourt pieces after the injury to Hendricks seems unlikely.

The Pelicans will have to look elsewhere if they ultimately decide trading Ingram is the way to go. There are other teams that could certainly emerge as trade suitors depending on how the 2024-2025 campaign unfolds over the next few weeks.