Rich Paul may be expanding out from current Los Angeles Lakers players to former ones.
New Orleans Pelicans writer Shamit Dua reports on Saturday that Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram is widely expected to sign with Klutch Sports, the agency founded by the NBA mega-agent Paul. Ingram isn’t eligible to join a new agency just yet (after recently dropping his previous agent) but will be eligible after a 15-day “cooling off” period, per NBPA rules.
Ingram, 27, looks like the Pelicans’ best all-around player this season with averages of 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game. But he was unable to agree to a contract extension with New Orleans in the offseason, setting the stage for an excursion into unrestricted free agency if no deal is reached before the end of the league year (June 30).
Paul and Klutch are known for the gigantic deals they are able to hammer out for their clients, and the former All-Star Ingram will likely fit that billing too if he keeps up his strong year. Ingram’s star teammate on the Pelicans also just dropped his agent, but there is no word on if Klutch is in the mix there as well.
