Raptors Are 1 of 2 Finalists in Brandon Ingram Trade Talks

Former All-Star Brandon Ingram is apparently on his way out of New Orleans. The Pelicans are not interested in succumbing to his demand for a max extension, so they're going to dish him to another team who will have to deal with that.

And according to a report from insider Marc Stein, the Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks are the two finalists in the bidding for Ingram.

The Brandon Ingram sweepstakes is coming down to the Toronto Raptors and the Atlanta Hawks, per @TheSteinLine pic.twitter.com/MblPMZoO96
— Dime Alerts (@DimeAlerts) February 5, 2025

The Athletic says the Raptors and Hawks are "neck and neck" in the battle to secure him, and a trade could happen at any time

Sportsnet's Michael Grange has written that the Raptors are looking to add "a significant piece", and Ingram could qualify.

Stein writes in his newsletter:

The Pelicans, sources said, have held ongoing dialogue with both Toronto and Atlanta about acquiring Ingram….There would seem to be a realistic pathway for Toronto to match the bulk of Ingram’s salary with Bruce Brown’s expiring $23 million contract, but the Raptors and Pelicans have discussed various scenarios for Ingram, sources said.

Ingram is a pending free agent, earning $36M this season. The Raptors would have to add one of Chris Boucher, Kelly Olynyk or Davion Mitchell to the deal to get the salaries to match.

Ingram, 27, wants a big raise this summer into max territory. He averages about 22 points per game over the last six years, so is certainly a big-time scorer, while also adding 5 1/2 boards and 5 1/2 assists per game on average. He's also strong from beyond the arc, averaging 37.4% this season.

But the real problem with Ingram is health. He's only played 18 games this season, and has only topped the 60-game mark once in the last four seasons. Re-signing him would also push the Raptors well into the luxury tax, assuming they'll also be retaining the rest of their core players (Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett).

The deadline hits at 3pm ET on Thursday.