If Dallas Maverick had not decided on a historically inexplicable proportion, the Toronto Raptors would have easily brought home the title of Deadline Week’s most confused team when they traded for Brandon Ingram. It’s not the first time.
However, unlike Jacob Poertre’s deal at the 2023 deadline (or a myopic deal with Rudy Gay in 2013), the 2024-25 Raptors were publicly committed to rebuilding. And the fact that Toronto employed multiple veterans on an expired contract should have made the 16-35 Raptors an obvious seller at deadline, not a buyer.
It is possible that the team did not find suitors or retrieve the second draft capital they wanted from players like Chris Boucher, Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk. Some might say that in Vacuum, Ingram’s undeniable talent will move the first round of 2026, protected by Indiana’s top four. all. But the context and timeline are important.
Yes, Ingram’s pure talent and raw production are impressive. He is a whimsical self-creator who averaged 23 points while shooting 51% within the arc, 37% from the deep, and 85% from the free throw line in the last six years. He has also become an impressive playmaker with an assist percentage of 100% between the wings this season, while averaging 5.6 assists per game over the past four years, according to Glass’ Cleaning The Glass. I did. And although he was relatively inexpensive, he was only 27 years old.
But there’s a reason for that, and it’s beyond his expiration of contract. Ingram’s midrange-heavy game and overall shot diet limit his efficiency, and his defensive contributions are rarely measured to his defensive length, and he has been his in the past seven and a half seasons. We missed 31.2% of our team’s games. He has averaged 56.4 games per 82 contests since 2017-18.
Ingram’s basic statistics, age, and upside may have won him the maximum contract under previous collective bargaining agreements, but due to the new CBA’s more punitive tax penalties and apron restrictions, the team has been forced to take on the team. is rethinking how and how you spend your money. Building a competing team is too difficult when you are paying money to an advanced scorer who is not particularly efficient, not a consistent defender and cannot maintain good health. Reports that one-time All-Star Ingram is seeking top dollar allow us to understand why the teams aren’t lined up to trade with pending free agents.
Ingram is a type of talented scorer with a classic catch 22. He’s not enough to be the number one option for his competitors, but he’s also not threatened enough to get to number two or third from the ball. Demar Derozan, the top scorer.
On the surface, it doesn’t sound like the type of player who fits best next to franchise star Scotty Burns.
A fast, aggressive system with a lot of movement from Darko Rajakovic could potentially bring out the best and most efficient version of Ingram, as is done with RJ Barrett. If Ingram is healthy then this would fall as a wise and hoarding acquisition of a team that doesn’t land Ingram’s caliber players in the free agent market. Additionally, the Raptors still employ all the promising young people they’ve made before getting Ingram and controlling all the picks in the first round. But there are still risks.
For this deal to become a home run (or extra-based hit), several more dominos have to fall into Toronto’s favor. First, raptors cannot sink the odds of the 2025 lottery into the currently injured Ingram. This move doesn’t need to mean that the front office is suddenly firing towards the play-in tournament, but this deal can best help Ingram’s new team by not playing now. That’s what it means. Second, Ingram must be traded either re-signed at a reasonable price or signed for a greater return than the wrap coughing to cough.
This deal has a scenario where it becomes a low-risk, high-reward gambling for one of the many franchises that need to place such bets to accumulate top talent. However, there are too many “IFs” related to the transaction to feel satisfied with the 16-35 team pulling the trigger.
Joseph Castiaro is the lead Raptors and NBA reporter for Thescore.
