Pelicans Handling Brandon Ingram to Raptors for Kelly Olynyk, Bruce Brown: Source

Brandon Ingram is on the way out of New Orleans. The Pelicans send Ingram to Toronto Raptors in exchange for Bruce Brown Jr. And Kelly Olynyk with a first round pick and another round, according to a team source.

Ingram, 27, finally finds a new home after almost 10 months of uncertainty about his future and countless conversations about his value in the market under the restrictive rules of the new CBA.

Together with almost everyone else on New Orlean’s Pelicans watch list, Ingram has undergone an injured season 2024-25 that has left him sideline too much of what was supposed to be the most important year of his career. He has only played 18 of Pelicans ’51 games this season, an average of 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists.

Ingram has not played for almost two months after having a high quality, make left ankle sprain on December 7. His extended injury absence along with a wealth of damage to other key contributors on the team has led the pelicans to have a fantastic (12-39) record.

Ingram came into the season in the hope that his game on the field would help him earn the lucrative contract he has been looking for since last summer – with New Orleans or another team. But his team’s struggle and his inability to stay healthy left him with few opportunities.

Ingram has been eligible to sign a four -year, $ 207.8 million maximum expansion since last July, but the pelicans have been hesitant to give him such a massive agreement after already handing out major contracts to Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum, Herb Jones and trey Murphy in recent years. Knowing the financial consequences that it could have on a team in small markets that have never paid the luxury tax in his 23-year-old existence, the Pelicans decided to draw the line with Ingram.

After not reaching a new agreement, it was clear that Ingram’s time with the Pelicans was finishing. He was set to enter unlimited free agency in the summer of 2025.

Both Ingram and New Orleans sought potential trade destinations that could a) give the pelicans the assets they wanted, and b) presents a freer who was willing to give Ingram the lucrative expansion he wanted. The Pelicans talked to several teams about Ingram, but they couldn’t find an appointment that got any real traction before Wednesday.

During his six seasons with Pelicans, Ingram made an All-Star team, reached the playoffs twice and became one of the most productive scorers in the franchise history. Still playing his awkward fit next to Pelican’s star Zion Williamson- The two stars only 154 games together for 5 ½ seasons- his reluctance to modernize his offensive approach and his ongoing trouble durability made it difficult for New Orleans to oblige Say to another long term contract with Ingram.

Some of the same concerns caused other teams to pass on their opportunity to seriously pursue Ingram in the trading market.

Ingram has only played 65-Plus games in one season once in the first nine years of his career, and it was his rookie season with Lakers. He was on the verge of having one of the healthiest seasons of his career in 2023-24, but he suffered a left knee bone contusion that almost sidelined him for the last month of the regular season.

At the best, Ingram has shown that he is more than capable of scoring and playmaking as well as most large wings around the NBA. His comfort of beating hard shots in midrange separates him from most. He has also made great progress as a facilitator and a vocal leader in the dressing room.

However, he has struggled at times to prove that he can consistently perform at a level required by a person seeking a contract worth $ 50-plus million a year.

With Ingram on his way to a new franchise, there will be big questions about whether he can regain his all-star form and prove that it was the right step from Toronto to acquire him. For New Orleans, Ingram’s departure allows it to fully commit to a future built around Williamson and Murphy as the faces of the franchise.

(Photo: Sean Gardner / Getty Images)