In the midst of all the recent focus on Kawhi Leonard, Steve Ballmer, Lawrence Frank, and the hefty Clippers draft pick penalties, I’ve mentioned in some of my recent pieces how Toronto’s moving pieces (Gradey Dick and Brandon Ingram) have somewhat been lost in the shuffle.
Today brought a couple of key updates regarding Kawhi Leonard’s impending status with the Toronto Raptors, including reports of him being in Miami with teammates for an unofficial mini-camp. Meanwhile, the ongoing trade hold-up has been tied to the Clippers’ organization still figuring out its front office hierarchy after the league-issued suspensions to Ballmer and Frank.
But we also got some new intel on Brandon Ingram. Aside from the even-more highly-valuable draft picks involved in the Raptors’ side of the deal, the Notorious B.I.3 is largely the centerpiece of this trade. However, doubts have emerged about Ingram’s immediate future with the Clippers, as other hypothetical scenarios have been floated — like his potential re-routing to yet another team, with former Raptors boss Masai Ujiri and his Dallas Mavericks cited as a possible suitor and landing spot.
While that scenario isn’t completely off the table, a recent Bleacher Report livestream with NBA insider Jake Fischer shed light on Ingram’s transition to the Clippers.
Clippers are not expected to re-route Brandon Ingram immediately after the Kawhi Leonard trade
Fischer mentioned that Ingram has reportedly been “at the Clippers facility working out every day,” which mirrors Kawhi Leonard’s approach this summer — acting as if he’s already a Toronto Raptor, even though he hasn’t officially gotten the green light. Furthermore, Fischer noted that while Ingram’s “re-trade value” has been mentioned by him before, there’s no clear indication at this moment that the Clippers are actively exploring moving the two-time NBA All-Star. Instead, Fischer suggests that this possibility could open up “somewhere this season or further down the line.”
Certainly, for a player's mindset and value in the league, it can't feel very reassuring or promising to be constantly discussed as a potential trade subject. The unusual nature of this trade has already left a strange feeling for the players involved and, of course, the team’s respective fanbases. Especially for Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick, whose job security with LA I’ve also recently touched on. Moving to a Clippers franchise riddled with uncertainty, controversy, and a bleak future doesn’t exactly bode well for their careers.
But for now, with the start of the 2026-27 NBA season just over a month away, the latest signs and reports suggest that Brandon Ingram will be a Los Angeles Clipper come tip-off.
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