The New Orleans Pelicans are now moving on from Brandon Ingram.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the ball club is sending the All-Star to the Toronto Raptors for a package that includes Bruce Brown Jr., Kelly Olynyk, and a pair of first and second round draft pick.
The first-round draft asset that the New Orleans Pelicans will hand to the Raptors as part of the Brandon Ingram trade is a top-4 protected 2026 pick from the Indiana Pacers, per sources.
After months of speculation with regards to their long-term look, Ingram and the Pelicans are now heading on a different direction.
Despite eligibility to sign a max extension since last summer, both sides couldn’t eventually reach agreement about an extended run which ultimately placed Ingram on the trade block all season long.
Ingram’s contract uncertainty is just one of the Pelicans’ dilemma this 2024-25. Struggling from injuries throughout its roster, they are dead last in the West standings at 12-39.
Ingram holds an expiring $36 million salary which will put him on this year’s free agency. He is averaging 22.2 points, 5.6 boards, and 5.2 assists across 18 games this year.
He was acquired by the Pelicans in a 2019 blockbuster deal that saw the landing of Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers.
For most of the Raptors fans, acquiring Ingram is a brilliant move from Masai Ujiri.
With Ingram, they now have a solid go-to main offensive punch who has the capability to create his own shots and generate good looks. Despite boasting a young and talented core of Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and Gradey Dick, Toronto still relatively lacks a proven scoring punch who can reliably produce on a nightly basis.
Besides, the Raptors were able to capitalize on the expiring contracts of both Brown and Olynyk rather than letting them walk away in free agency.
Yet despite the approval of most Raptors fans, Josh Lewenberg isn’t convinced about the franchise’s trade for Ingram. As stated by the Raptors analyst and reporter on X, obtaining the 27-year-old doesn’t make sense for Toronto and in its ongoing rebuild project.
Time will tell if the Raps either made a mistake or not in pushing the button for Ingram. Nevertheless, they stand confident about how the All-Star can help them for their future plans beyond this year.
Going for Ingram only means that Toronto is willing to give the former Duke star a max extension. And for that, we can only wait and see how things would eventually unfold.
