NBA Insider Marc Stein is always around to provide the latest scoop making its rounds across the league. In his newest edition of The Stein Line on Substack, the player in focus is an injured star from the Bayou: Pelicans wing Brandon Ingram.
Moreover, Stein suggests that "...Toronto has emerged as a team to watch when it comes to Ingram."
Are the Toronto Raptors monitoring Brandon Ingram closely?
Ingram has been down in The Big Easy ever since he became a focal point in the blockbuster 2019 offseason trade package that saw a disgruntled Anthony Davis take his talents to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The lanky forward would immediately break out in the 2020 season, where he was selected to his first All-Star Game and earned the NBA's Most Improved Player Award for his outstanding efforts.
In a player of Ingram's caliber, he presents a ton of versatility on the wings as a skillful playmaker and rebounder, and he shows a knack for scoring in the mid-range. It is these qualities that earned Ingram the tall task of being compared to Kevin Durant due to their similar styles.
But here's the troubling thing about Brandon Ingram, though: his current health status is a grave concern.
Speaking on Ingram's trade appeal to the Raptors and leaguewide, Marc Stein said the following:
"This would be an easier determination to make if Ingram — who is in the final year of his current contract at $36 million — were healthy and showcasing himself at the moment. Yet it's an open secret leaguewide that the Pelicans have been open to fielding trade pitches for the 27-year-old since before last June's draft and then throughout a summer during which the Pelicans and Ingram found neither a trade partner nor common ground on a contract extension."Marc Stein, January 28, 2025
Bearing that in mind, what exactly would the Raptors be enamored with in acquiring Brandon Ingram?
Here's what Marc Stein had to say about the matter:
"...the Raptors would at least weigh Ingram's potential fit among the various moves they have been contemplating before the Feb. 6 trade deadline .... and while waiting for the lottery draw in mid-May that will determine whether Toronto lands high enough on the ladder to have a shot at any of the potential franchise-player-level talents (Duke's Cooper Flagg and the Rutgers duo of Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper) projected to be available at the top of this June's draft."Marc Stein, January 28, 2025
Ingram's pairing alongside Raptors star Scottie Barnes does present a dynamic forward duo, but the fit is essentially a close mirror to the pairing of BI and Zion Williamson. Ingram could take some of the offensive load off of Barnes' shoulders, but isn't that exactly what RJ Barrett does now? Does Ingram's addition mean Barrett is out the door?
Ingram can slow the game down, too, with his isolation-heavy style of play. That method might not be the best needle mover alongside Barnes and other co-stars like Gradey Dick and Jakob Poeltl, should the Austrian big man still be around for the long haul.
Don’t get it twisted; Ingram is a great player when he’s healthy and at his best, but joining the Toronto Raptors? It just doesn’t seem like the big move Toronto should make.
That all remains to be seen as this is merely speculation right now, but the thought of adding Brandon Ingram to this Raptors core does conjure up a myriad of thoughts. If no one else is clamoring for Ingram's services, why would Toronto want him? Then again, Masai Ujiri does like to stand out above the rest for his belief in some of the least appreciated talents, working his magic to turn them around.
Surely, the discussions of Brandon Ingram headed to Toronto will not rest in the coming months; if anything, they're undoubtedly going to continue picking up steam. On the immediate horizon, however, the 2025 NBA trade deadline is just around the corner, and the Raptors will look to emerge from it as winners.
Right now, the latest from Marc Stein gives the Raptors community another layer of insider insight on an NBA star who could be on Toronto's radar, but it's just heresay at the moment.