Raptors Acquire Ingram From Pelicans For Brown, Olynyk, Two Picks
There was a game, too, which Toronto lost to Memphis
The madness continues and there’s still some time on the clock.
Jimmy Butler went to Golden State. Andrew Wiggins is in Miami. The Lakers got Luka Doncic his desired lob threat in Mark Williams. And yes, your Toronto Raptors made a deal!
Brandon Ingram is a Raptor for the cost of Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, the 2026 Pacers first-round pick acquired in the Pascal Siakam trade, and a second-round pick.
The 27-year-old instantly becomes the Raptors’ best scorer. There is a level of shot creation to his game that no one else on the team yet possesses. His playmaking has improved, too, in recent times and it’ll be interesting to see how much more that aspect of his game can grow under Darko Rajakovic.
If you read my last post, you know that I was in support of this deal happening if the remainder of the season stays true to tanking. Acquiring an all-star calibre talent for an expiring contract, another veteran who had no long-term outlook on the team, a first-round pick acquired from Indiana that figures to be in the late teens to early 20s and a second-round pick is a good bit of business.
This is a player averaging 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and just under a steal in 2024-25. He makes threes at a solid clip and unlike several players on the Raptors, knocks down his free-throws.
I’m not going to pretend this is an absolute home run but don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. I went down each team in the standings and tried to make a list of players who would be a better fit and may have actually been available.
You can talk your way into Andrew Wiggins (he turns 30 in two weeks, by the way) but he just made his way to Miami and Toronto didn’t have what Golden State wanted. DeAndre Hunter? Possibly, but there’s a sizable gap between him and Ingram talent-wise, especially in the playmaking department. Cameron Johnson? He’s not the late clock go-to scorer and shot creator that Ingram is and Toronto needs. You get the gist.
There’s interesting ties here, as Ingram is from the same 2016 draft class as Jakob Poeltl and Siakam. Ingram was selected second overall by the L.A. Lakers.
Sticking with Siakam, it puts the return on his deal at Ingram, Ja’Kobe Walter, and Ochai Agbaji. That’s certainly better than what it looked like a year ago.
Or is it?
We won’t know how to fully assess the deal until we see how all three net out as Raptors. Let’s focus on that newest Raptor and the deal it took to bring him to Toronto.
The Deal Makes Sense If…
Ingram doesn’t play much the rest of the way so as to preserve the tanking efforts. He’s been out since Dec. 7 and has missed 28 straight games with a severe low left ankle sprain. This is also a bit tricky because you’d like to see him play with Scottie Barnes and the rest of the core to gauge the fit and get them acclimated as soon as possible. It can also be said that if Chris Boucher is dealt by 3 p.m. that the Raptors will have completely gutted its bench strength and so there’d still be enough leeway to tank. Losing Brown and Olynyk may already be enough of a blow.
Ingram re-signs with Toronto in the off-season at less annual value than the four-year, $207.8M max extension he was reportedly seeking from New Orleans. If you’re comparing to Siakam, the Raptors offered the Cameroonian a four-year extension worth around $125M before the 2022-23 season began which he rejected. He wanted to make an All-NBA team and become eligible for four years and around $223M. Siakam became an All-Star but missed out on All-NBA. As tensions grew with the front office in the 2023-24 season, he was traded and re-signed with the Pacers for four years and $189.5M. It’s also worth remembering that Ingram is three years younger than Siakam.
Toronto can either offer Ingram a three-year extension worth $144M until June 30th or use their bird rights to sign him in excess of the cap as a free agent beginning July 1st. The Raptors conceding a first-round pick is a decent indicator that positive conversations have already been had with Ingram about re-signing in Toronto. Remember when Masai Ujiri said free agency is dead? This deal is exactly about that.
Rajakovic can unlock Ingram’s offensive efficiency in a way the Pelicans couldn’t. Hey, if he could do it with Barrett then why not with Ingram? The 27-year-old has had four seasons with a true shooting percentage of at least 57.8 but has yet to crack the esteemed 60% club. If you’re looking for a standard bearer of efficiency for lanky forwards who primarily operate from the mid-range, Kevin Durant has been above 60% true shooting for almost the entirety of his career and his best years have hovered around the 63-65% range.
Ingram maintains or, ideally, continues to increase his 3-point volume. He’s attempted 6.4 triples per game so far this season, something he hadn’t done since his first couple seasons with the Pelicans. We know Toronto sorely lacks 3-point shooting volume and is currently second from bottom in 3-point attempt frequency. In a starting lineup that features Poeltl and Barnes, the other three players have to get their share of threes up to keep up in the math game.
There is a plan to move off R.J. Barrett within the next couple seasons. Respectfully, Ingram is a markedly better offensive talent. Both aren’t great defenders, and neither is Immanuel Quickley. Between Agbaji, Walter, and Gradey Dick, the Raptors have more than enough options to play at shooting guard along with some minutes at small forward at much more palatable contracts. I like that this deal puts Dick in a sixth man role, but I also think Agbaji would offer a better fit in the starting lineup next to Quickley, Ingram, Barnes, and Poeltl than Barrett.
Here’s Ingram scoring 41 points including eight triples against the Raptors last season:
The Deal Doesn’t Make Sense If…
The Raptors look to be competitive for the remainder of the season. At 18 games under .500 and a difficult February schedule in hand, winning games would invalidate the pain of losing 16 in 17 earlier. Let Ingram take his sweet time in healing that ankle, stay true to the ethical tank, and maximize the opportunities for the youth.
Barnes and Ingram don’t click. If there isn’t synergy between the two and the whole isn’t greater than the sum of its parts, then the Raptors may have to move on from Ingram rather quickly. That’s not necessarily a bad thing if the right deal is struck, as Ingram has appealed to several other teams over the past couple years even if no other deal has gotten over the line.
Ingram gets the maximum he’s eligible for contractually. As mentioned above, conceding a first-round pick likely means there has been progress on staying in Toronto long-term. If the Raptors front office gives him the max money he’s eligible for, though, that would put the team in a salary cap bind as a result of the Quickley and Barnes extensions. An extension for Barrett looms, too.
Ingram leaves in the off-season. As unlikely as it appears with the draft capital surrendered, there is the possibility that Ingram doesn’t like what he sees over the next few months and opts to depart in free agency.
Ingram can’t stay healthy. More on that below.
How Real Is The Injury Concern?
You will have heard many say by now that Ingram hasn’t played 65 games in a regular season since his rookie year in 2016-17. Let’s break down his time with the Pelicans for better context:
2019-20: Played 62 of 72 regular season games (86.1%).
2020-21: Played 61 of 72 regular season games (84.7%).
2021-22: Played 55 of 82 regular season games (67.1%).
Games missed were due to a hip contusion, Achilles soreness, ankle injury, and hamstring strain. Also had a “non-COVID” illness.
2022-23: Played 45 of 82 regular season games (54.9%).
Missed 29 consecutive games between Nov. 26 - Jan. 25 due to a sprained left big toe suffered when landing on an opponent’s foot against the Memphis Grizzlies on Nov. 25, 2022.
2023-24: Played 64 of 82 regular season games (78.0%).
Missed 12 of the final 13 games due to a bone contusion in his left knee. This happened on March 21, 2024 against the Orlando Magic when hyperextending his left knee while defending a Jalen Suggs drive.
2024-25: Played 18 of 51 regular season games (35.3%).
Has missed 28 straight games with what was considered a significant low left ankle sprain and has no timetable to return.
As we can see, there’s nothing to say about the ‘19-20 and ‘20-21 seasons. There’s no issue to be had with playing 85 percent of games.
The ‘21-22 season is definitely worth some questions as a variety of ailments — especially seeing a hamstring strain and Achilles soreness — suggest a less than ideal commitment to body maintenance.
After that, you’re looking at a freak injury in ‘22-23 that cost him 29 straight games and another one in ‘23-24 that got him at the end of the season. It’s worth remembering that until the injury, he had played in 63 of 69 games.
There’s no way to say he isn’t injury prone. Viewing things objectively, he has been very healthy for half his Pelicans tenure, adequately healthy for another season (‘21-22), and unhealthy for two seasons — one of which is while on a tanking team with injuries up and down its roster.
At age 27 and Raptors Vice President, Health and Player Performance Alex McKechnie by his side, I’d like to think Ingram can shade closer to the glass half-full side of his health than half-empty.
Can Ingram Defend?
Ingram has proven an above average defender when engaged. He’s 6-foot-8 with a 7-foot-3 wingspan. He knows how to use that length effectively and the Pelicans have even had rare occasions where they’ve put him on centers and trusted his ability to use his length to contest.
There are times when he can be disengaged and so his defensive awareness can be found wanting. He probably nets out as an average defender but it will be interesting to see how he fares with Barnes and Poeltl next to him.
He has been a better defender at his position than Barrett has been at his, I will say that. He is a better defender than Dick. This is where Dick sliding to a bench role can help, not taking on top tier stars as much.
That being said, Quickley, Barrett, and Ingram all starting probably isn’t great. Again, for me, this trade has started the clock on the end of Barrett’s tenure as a Raptor.
Final Thoughts
Masai Ujiri, Bobby Webster, and co. have shown they have a lot of belief in Barnes’ growth this season and feel the team will be more than ready to win next season. This is the type of acquisition that Barnes can sit at home and be more at peace with all the losing this season.
The light is at the end of the tunnel.
The tank job’s not finished. Close out the remainder of the season with one of the five worst records (currently fifth-worst), take your chances in the lottery, and bring in another quality piece. Is is too soon to trade Barrett in the summer? I think the Raptors have to be open to it after making this move. He’s extension eligible but Toronto doesn’t want to be the one paying that next contract.
This is a good position to be in, staying the course and having lottery odds go the Raptors’ way could make it great. Oh, and re-signing Ingram.
Notes
The Grizzlies defeated the Raptors 138-107. Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. were excellent in the second half in particular, helping Memphis outscore Toronto 85-48. It was a forgettable night for both Barnes and Dick as they combined to shoot 9-for-35 including 1-for-14 from beyond the arc.
Chris Boucher was available to play but did not see the court. Kelly Olynyk played his final game as a Raptor, starting the game and collecting nine points to go along with seven rebounds.
In case you missed it, Delon Wright is reuniting with OG Anunoby on the New York Knicks after the Milwaukee Bucks dealt him. Jonas Valanciunas will also be reuniting with DeMar DeRozan in Sacramento.