An Eastern Conference playoff team traded for a long, two-way forward, paid him big-time money in an extension, and started him every game leading into the playoffs. Once they arrived, however, that player was awful and posted a shockingly bad on/off number. They won their most recent game despite that expensive player.
That description is about Brandon Ingram and the Toronto Raptors, right? Perhaps! It could also apply to the New York Knicks and Mikal Bridges. And maybe, just maybe, both teams could come together and find a solution to their growing problems.
Brandon Ingram is struggling big-time
Toronto cannot ignore the truth staring them right in the face: Ingram has been a massive problem to start the playoffs. His brand of moderately-efficient mid-range shooting has been completely snuffed out by the Cleveland Cavaliers' defense, and his inattentive defense has been taken advantage of.
The Raptors fought their way back into the series, winning Game 3, in large part because head coach Darko Rajakovic benched Ingram down the stretch, playing him just 29 minutes for the game.
Looking at competitive minutes in the series, Ingram has played 91 minutes for the Raptors. In those minutes, Ingram has a -19.1 net rating, which means Toronto is being outscored by 19.1 points per 100 possessions (per databallr). In 36 minutes with Ingram on the bench, the Raptors have a +20.0 net rating. That's a swing of 39.1 points, a truly mammoth number.
Rajakovic found a way past the problem in Game 3, dusting off Jamison Battle off the bench and inserting him into the game. He promptly went off for 14 points in 16 minutes, shooting 4-for-4 on 3-pointers. Ingram, for what it's worth, is 2-for-6 from 3-point range for the series.
What is Toronto to do long-term? They are committed to Ingram at just over $40 million per season over the next two years. Given how bad he has been and how muted his trade market was in 2025 when the Raptors traded for him, what can they do to solve the problem this offseason?
The answer might be waiting in The Big Apple.
Mikal Bridges is struggling for Knicks
The Knicks are experiencing something similar with Mikal Bridges through four games of their first-round series with the Atlanta Hawks. After trading five first-round picks for Bridges and paying him a lucrative contract extension, he is having a truly awful playoff series.
Bridges is down to just 27 minutes per game, shooting 25 percent from deep (3-for-12), has five turnovers to six assists, and is averaging only 7.3 points per game. Head coach Mike Brown has gone away from Bridges multiple times down the stretch of close games.
The Knicks might be looking for a way out this summer if Bridges continues to struggle, but who wants to pay for a struggling wing on a lucrative long-term extension?
What about another team dealing with the same problem?
Raptors could trade for Mikal Bridges
Bridges looks like a much better fit on the Raptors than Ingram is. He can defend opposing guards, something Ingram struggles to do (we could have stopped that statement at "defend). That would alleviate pressure on Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett.
Bridges has also shown that historically he is a better shooter than Ingram and is more used to playing off-ball on offense, whereas Ingram demands the ball to be effective. That would open up space for Scottie Barnes to blossom into an all-out superstar.
Ingram's contract is two years shorter than Bridges' deal, perhaps incentivizing the Knicks to make the trade. Bridges is a better fit on Toronto, slightly less expensive, and has a track record of being good in the playoffs in the past.
It would be a big swing, but perhaps the solution to Toronto's Brandon Ingram problem will come from their division rival. Trading for MIkal Bridges could be the solution this franchise is now desperately searching for.
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