Ingram trade an ‘incremental step’ in Raptors’ rebuild, says GM Bobby Webster

New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram celebrates after making a three-pointer during an NBA basketball game against the Phoenix Suns in New Orleans, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Gerald Herbert

TORONTO — It’s not the type of trade rebuilding teams generally make.

Yet the Toronto Raptors (16-35) flipped the script on Thursday, sending the New Orleans Pelicans a 2026 first-round pick from Indiana, their own 2031 second-round pick and veterans Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk for pending free agent Brandon Ingram.

For a Raptors team that sits 13th in the Eastern Conference and may be paying more attention to its draft lottery odds than its playoff chances, the trade at first blush did not seem to add up.

But general manager Bobby Webster said Friday that the move for Ingram is simply one checkpoint along the rebuild path.

“It takes a lot of really good players to win in this league, and so this is just sort of an incremental step along the way, as opposed to some big flag-in-the-sand type move,” Webster said. “But listen, we’ve opened up a lot of ability for our young guys to play.”

Webster added that the team has already been in conversation with Ingram’s agent about a contract extension.

“Brandon wants to be here. I think this was an intentional effort and decision by him, so we appreciate that,” Webster said.

Ingram joined his new team in Oklahoma City ahead of a game Friday against the Thunder. He told reporters after Friday’s practice that he is looking forward to a change of scenery after five-plus years in New Orleans.

“Some new faces, some young talent around, and I’m excited to bring some positive energy,” he said.

Moving from one struggling team to another did not seem to faze Ingram.

“I know it’s a rebuild (in Toronto) but it’s a chance for us to continue to get better and work on the things to rebuild,” he said. “I’m happy to be a part of it.”

The oft-injured Ingram has appeared in just 18 games this season, averaging 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists per contest.

He has been out since early December with a left ankle sprain.

“I think we feel like we’ll be able to get the best out of him,” Webster said. ”From afar, obviously, you never know for sure. We did have the benefit of having (Golden State Warriors assistant Jerry) Stackhouse here, who is close to him. So there’s enough people around Brandon that you’re sort of able to get a picture of his love for the game of basketball.

“Obviously, you don’t get to that level of skill without an immense amount of hard work and sort of skill development. And so we’re always going to bet on those types of characteristics.”

Across 495 career games with the Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers, Ingram has averaged 19.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists.

The Kinston, N.C., native was selected second overall out of Duke by the Lakers in the 2016 NBA draft. After three seasons in Los Angeles, he was dealt to New Orleans as part of the Lakers' package for star forward Anthony Davis.

While he won the most improved player award after the 2019-20 season, Ingram’s time with the Pelicans was mostly marred by injury and team underperformance.

Webster dismissed Ingram’s time with the Pelicans as a stretch of bad luck. He said Ingram’s place next to franchise linchpin Scottie Barnes is a “natural fit.”

“Scottie wants to share ball, Brandon wants to score the ball. … You can never have too many difference makers, high IQ players, great feel for the game, long, athletic. So our kind of guy,” Webster said.

Webster was also bullish on Ingram’s fit with RJ Barrett, another scorer who typically likes to operate in the mid-range.

“The spacing that (Ingram) provides with his ability to shoot the ball, whether it’s from three or from the midrange, I think opens things up for both RJ’s cutting, RJ’s ability to finish around the rim, and then Scottie’s natural passing ability,” Webster said.

“But at the same time I think we need a lot of good players and we need a lot of good difference makers. And so this just adds to that group.”

The Raptors also dealt point guard Davion Mitchell to the Miami Heat in exchange for P.J. Tucker — who has had two previous stints with the team — a 2026 second-round pick (via the Los Angeles Lakers) and cash considerations.

Webster said Tucker, who has not played this season, is not expected to report to the Raptors.

In their third and final deal on deadline day, Toronto acquired James Wiseman and cash considerations from the Indiana Pacers. Wiseman was immediately waived.

With Olynyk, Brown and Mitchell now out of the picture, Webster said there would be more playing time for the team’s five rookies, sophomore Gradey Dick and third-year pro Ochai Agbaji over the final 31 games of the season.

The Raptors remain 5.5 games back of the 10th seed, which is the final spot in the play-in tournament.

Toronto’s record is fifth-worst in the NBA heading into Friday’s game against Canada’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the West-leading Thunder. Ingram won’t play as he continues to recover from his ankle sprain.

As things currently stand, Toronto has a 42.1-per-cent chance of getting a top-four pick in the NBA draft lottery and a 10.5-per-cent chance of selecting first overall.

The Ingram trade, on paper, looks like the type of move that could negatively affect those odds.

But Webster said the Raptors have identified the 2025 draft class as “particularly strong.”

“That’s mission No. 1 now is let’s go out and travel the world and figure out which of these guys (to draft). Takes me back a little bit to the Tampa year when you start to identify Scottie around this time,” Webster said.

“And obviously, the lottery balls and lottery gods will determine where we end up, but that’s our job to find the players.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 7, 2025.