After what seemed like an endless period of radio silence, a new report regarding Brandon Ingram's availability ahead of the trade deadline finally broke. Marc Stein of The Stein Line relayed that the Toronto Raptors have shown interest in dealing for BI.
It's certainly not a sure thing. Toronto has also been said to be enamored with the idea of playing financial facilitator in swaps in return for more draft capital. While it's not impossible for them to do both, it's unlikely that a team committed to building toward the future would want to add a 27-year-old borderline All-Star just entering his prime and in need of a new contract, preferably one worth four years and $200 million if it were up to Ingram. This certainly feels more like an "either/or" kind of decision from the Raptors and President Masai Ujiri, who Stein reported is very motivated to get his team back into the playoffs as soon as possible.
Assuming that the Raptors do want to trade for Ingram, the Pelicans shouldn't be willing to take any deal just to get rid of BI. Despite the lack of interest surrounding his availability until now, he is still an asset, one that should command a decent return from Toronto or whatever team winds up acquiring him. The Raptors have a roster built of diverse contracts, varying talents, and different age groups. They also have ownership of all their future first-round picks. New Orleans should be able to get a decent package from the Raptors in return for Brandon Ingram. It'll be up to the Pelicans what kind of assets they want in return for BI.
The Pelicans can take two different routes with trading Brandon Ingram to the Raptors
1. Safe route/Retool
There are pretty much two players should be involved in any trade that Toronto makes for Brandon Ingram. There's almost no chance that they'll both be in the deal together, but I can almost guarantee that one of them will be in the package. The first one is Jakob Poeltl.
It's been no secret that the Pelicans need a center. It was obvious heading into the season, and it still holds true now, even with Yves Missi putting together a stellar rookie campaign. This trade will help ensure that New Orleans is ready to make a playoff run again next season.
Poeltl is only making $19.5 million this year, so Toronto will need to throw in some more pieces to match salary. Chris Boucher's $10 million figure makes the most sense here, but Kelly Olynyk's $12.8 million would also work, although they could probably flip Olynyk to a title contender for a first-round pick or at least a couple of seconds. The Pelicans bagging even a protected first from the Raptors here might be a little too optimistic, but they should be able to extract some kind of draft capital in this framework.
2. Gamble and Draft Capital
If the Raptors don't want to trade Poeltl to the Pelicans, the most likely other option is Immanuel Quickley. Quickley landed in Toronto as part of the OG Anunoby trade along with RJ Barrett. He played well after he was moved last season, but he became one of the most overpaid players in the league practically overnight.
Last summer, the Raptors gave him a massive five-year, $162.5 million extension, with an average annual value of $32.5 million. In this new league economy with the dreaded second apron, it'll be extremely difficult for IQ to live up to that contract. He's been injury-prone this season and has only played nine games, but the numbers he's put up in his appearances are well below what he's being paid to do.
Even including last year's games, Quickley's only averaging 18.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 1.8 turnovers while shooting 41 percent from the field and 39 percent from deep. They're not bad numbers by any means, especially for a 25-year-old, but it's not worth $32.5 million per year.
There's a strong chance that Toronto is regretting that contract and will want to offload it in the Ingram trade. In return for BI and IQ's albatross contract, the Raptors tag on another flier in Ochai Agbaji and a nice, shiny first-round pick or two. The Pelicans hope that Quickley can grow into his contract in New Orleans and get some draft capital for their gamble.