Video: Zion Williamson Reacts to Brandon Ingram Trade, 'That Was Tough to See Him Go'

There was a time when it seemed like Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram were going to lead the next era of New Orleans Pelicans basketball, but injuries largely stood in the way of that becoming a reality.

Any hope of them eventually living up to their potential together ended when the Pelicans traded Ingram to the Toronto Raptors ahead of Thursday's deadline, and Williamson said he was sad to see his former teammate leave.

"That was tough to see him go," the Duke product told reporters Saturday. "He's somebody who has been here with me since Day 1. All the ups and downs. You know, you wish it could be different, but I think it was at a point where he felt like he had to do what's best for him."

Williamson has played 16 games this season, while Ingram has played 18. It was more of the same for the pair, as Williamson missed the 2021-22 season and was limited to 24 games in 2019-20 and 29 games in 2022-23.

As for Ingram, he hasn't played more than 64 games in a season since he was a rookie in 2016-17.

New Orleans had the potential to be a Western Conference contender if they remained healthy, as it made the playoffs last season when Williamson played a career-high 70 games. It also reached the playoffs in 2021-22 but hasn't won a postseason series since before either of them arrived in 2017-18.

Ingram's long-term future is now up in the air seeing how he is signed through just this season, but ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported on his Hoop Collective podcast (42-minute mark) that "it sounds like they are going to do a multiyear deal that is worth nine figures. I'll just leave it at that."

That would make him one of the building blocks in Toronto for years to come, and he and Scottie Barnes will then look to enjoy more postseason success than he did with Williamson in New Orleans.