Biggest Winners and Losers from Brandon Ingram Trade Between Pelicans, Raptors
It's not even deadline day, and the trade hits just keep on coming in the NBA.
With Luka Dončić, Anthony Davis, Khris Middleton and Jimmy Butler already moved, the New Orleans Pelicans joined the fray late Wednesday night by sending Brandon Ingram to the Toronto Raptors.
ESPN's Shams Charania broke the news and shared some details on the trade:
The deal's biggest winners and losers can be found below.
Winner: Pelicans
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It doesn't seem like Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk will be long for the semi-rebuilding New Orleans Pelicans.
Brown, who's on an expiring deal, even seems like a potential buyout candidate if he's still with the team beyond the trade deadline.
So, at first glance, it might be easy to criticize this trade from New Orleans' perspective.
But, given Ingram's contract situation (it was always hard to imagine any suitor signing up for an Ingram rental and then dealing with his free agency this summer) and unavailability this season, getting real draft assets feels like good value.
The chances of the Pelicans re-signing Ingram this summer were slim. And getting picks—especially a first from a team that doesn't look ready to contend for a while—is far better than watching him walk for nothing.
This deal has a chance to expand, too. Given his $13.4 million salary in 2025-26, Olynyk can pretty easily be moved prior to next season's deadline.
Loser: Raptors
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In theory, having an abundance of length, switchability and playmaking at the wing and forward spots is a good thing.
The Toronto Raptors can now boast all of the above by adding Ingram to Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett.
The problem is that no member of that trio is a reliable, high-volume three-point shooter. Put them in lineups with Jakob Poeltl, and the floor could get mighty cramped. Sorting out the on-ball responsibility between those three and Immanuel Quickley won't be easy, either.
More to the point, this deal just doesn't make a ton of sense philosophically.
The Raptors should be angling for more losses and better odds in the lottery. Giving up draft assets for a veteran mid-range scorer who has long been inconsistent on defense is almost the exact opposite.
Factor in Ingram's impending free agency, and this is even harder to understand.
He can leave as early as this summer. And he'll likely expect a raise over the $36 million he's making this season to stay in Toronto. Signing that contract feels like guaranteeing the Raptors will stay in or near the bottom half of the East for its duration.
Winner: Brandon Ingram
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Simply getting a fresh start makes Ingram at least a small winner here.
He's not going to a contender, and he'll have to share a lot of usage with Barnes, Barrett and Quickley, but it's still not the relationship he had with the Pelicans, which had clearly soured.
Sometimes, just a change of scenery can spur better, more motivated performance.
Walking into the new situation just a few months shy of free agency can be sold as a win, too.
Ingram will get opportunities to prove his value as a wing. And even if his play is a little underwhelming, Toronto now has some pressure to re-sign him anyway. It never looks good to give up draft assets and then lose the player you acquired for nothing.
Losers (for Now): Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk
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The Toronto Raptors moving some of their veteran role players has felt like a foregone conclusion throughout this season.
Going from their sub-.500 team to one that's even worse can't feel great for Olynyk and Brown (though there's still time for one or both to wind up on a contender).
Brown hasn't been able to recapture the magic of playing alongside Nikola Jokić with the Denver Nuggets, but he still boasts a unique combination of guard and big man skills that could've made him a good utility man for just about any bench.
Olynyk has aged out of his prime and into being one of the most consistent three-point shooting bigs in the league, while also being an underrated playmaker.
Both could've helped winning teams, but they may have to languish on a team that was forced into a tank by injuries.
