The New Orleans Pelicans are trading Brandon Ingram to the Toronto Raptors, according to Shams Charania. In exchange for the former All-Star forward, the Pelicans will receive Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, one first-round pick and one second-round pick.
The deal marks not only the end of Ingram’s six-year tenure with the Pelicans, but the single biggest shakeup the Pelicans have undergone since dealing Anthony Davis to the Lakers in 2019.
Ingram, along with Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart and draft picks, represented the return in the Davis deal. The Pelicans hoped that Ingram and Zion Williamson could team up to be their centerpieces moving forward, and Ingram’s 2020 All-Star selection only strengthened that hope. That offseason, they signed him to a five-year max contract in restricted free agency after he won the Most Improved Player award.
But Ingram has yet to replicate that success. He has not played more than 64 games in a season since as injuries have become an enduring theme. The same has been true for Williamson, and the duo, whose on-ball tendencies often clashed, never quite got in sync as foundation of a winning Pelicans team. With Ingram due a contract extension this offseason and little traction on a possible new deal, New Orleans spent the offseason trying and failing to move him.
Now, however, they’ve found a deal, and the Pelicans, sitting in 14th place in the Western Conference standings at 12-39, move toward a reset with what should be one of the top picks in the loaded 2025 NBA Draft. The Pelicans currently have the third-worst record in the league, which would come with a 14% chance of the No. 1 pick and a guaranteed top-seven selection.
Ingram, meanwhile, moves on to a new home in Toronto, where he could potentially extend long-term and remain for the rest of his prime.
