On February 5, 2025, the New Orleans Pelicans and their tortured faithful had to say goodbye to a franchise legend. After five and a half seasons filled with promising highs and crushing lows, Brandon Ingram's time in the Bayou had come to an end, and he was ultimately traded to the Toronto Raptors a day before the deadline.
In return, the Pelicans received Kelly Olynyk, Bruce Brown Jr., a top-four protected first-round pick via the Indiana Pacers in 2026, and a second-round selection in 2031. Olynyk impressed in his debut for New Orleans, giving Zion Williamson the stretch big he's desperately needed alongside him in the frontcourt. Brown Jr. has mostly been quiet since arriving in the Big Easy, but his future with the team remains tentative as an impending free agent this summer. The Pels would be wise to keep him around for longer though.
This deal was never really about the return for New Orleans though. Rather, the franchise simply needed to close the book on a chapter in its history that gave them plenty of memorable moments but was ultimately defined by its shortcomings. While Ingram's pairing with Zion was severely limited and breaking up the suboptimal duo was the right move, it didn't make it any easier to say goodbye. It was especially difficult since BI unknowingly played his last game as a Pelican all the way back in early December. It's been especially difficult because the Pelicans fans still haven't been able to see him play basketball again, even if it's for a different team, and it'll be a while before they get to.
Brandon Ingram out until at least early March
Earlier in the year, I had surmised that Brandon Ingram may have played his last game for the Pelicans after he went down with his high ankle sprain, courtesy of a reckless closeout from Oklahoma City Thunder wing Lu Dort. Even at the time, that seemed like a pessimistic prediction, as Ingram went down in early December with an ailment that usually holds out NBA players for 4-6 weeks. It's now been over 11 weeks since BI last saw the floor.
There's now a decent chance that he doesn't come back at all for the Raptors this season. Just days after landing in Toronto, Ingram inked a three-year, $120 million extension with his new team. With a new contract in place and the Raptors sitting in 13th in the Eastern Conference at 17-39, it's not like they need him to come back.
He's currently operating without a timetable, and Sportsnet's Michael Grange reported that he'll likely be out until at least early March. On Wednesday, February 19, Raptors Head Coach Darko Rajakovic said that he's "not close at this point to come back and play."
With just 26 games left in the season for Toronto and Ingram not close to returning to action yet, there's a strong chance that his last game for the Pelicans was his last game for the entire year.