Brandon Ingram brings a $38.1M salary and a repaired Achilles to Clippers camp

2026-09-30

Brandon Ingram's contract was already asking for more than his production delivered, and a repaired Achilles now asks the Clippers to wait longer for it.

The two-time All-Star had surgery in May for heel pain, and the operation uncovered a partially torn Achilles tendon that was repaired. He said his recovery is going well, but he is a very limited participant in camp in Hawaii, and the recovery has extended into the regular season.

Last season, with the Toronto Raptors, Ingram produced like the 91st player in the league on $38.1M. Oso Ighodaro of the Phoenix Suns produced slightly more on $2.0M.

That earned a 32 WAGE Score, Under Water. The problem is not missed time: he played 77 games and still produced well below a salary paid like the 35th player.

I don't like the timing, because a return from an Achilles repair is the hardest place to close that gap. It is early, though: nobody has played a minute of the new season.

Zoom out: his cost per unit of production ranked 304th cheapest of 399 rated players last season. To earn the money, a post-Achilles Ingram has to produce like a top-35 player.