Grade the trade: Raptors land Brandon Ingram in surprising deal with Pelicans

The Toronto Raptors just made a very surprising move. As first reported by Chris Haynes, the Raptors have made a trade for Brandon Ingram. Shams Charania of ESPN followed up with details, noting that the Raptors sent Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, a first-round pick, and a second-round pick to the New Orleans Pelicans.

Ever since the offseason, it had become increasingly clear that the Pelicans and Ingram were not going to agree on a new contract extension, meaning he was likely to be traded. And that day has finally come. Now, it will be the Raptors’ job to extend Ingram if they want to keep him as part of their core next to Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, and Immanuel Quickley.

Here are the grades for both teams involved in the deal.

Grade the trade: Raptors land Brandon Ingram

The current state of the NBA isn’t built for players like Ingram to be max-contract players. But that doesn’t mean he’s not talented. And the Raptors are taking a swing on that talent for a very low price despite being in the race for a top pick in this year's NBA Draft Lottery. It's a surprising move, but it makes some sense.

Though he’s been hurt for much of this season, Ingram has looked great in his minutes. In 18 appearances, Ingram has averaged 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.2 assists while shooting 46.5% from the field and 37.4% from behind the three-point line.

Alongside Barnes, Barrett, and Quickley, Ingram’s scoring punch will be a very useful tool, potentially elevating Toronto’s offense.

The Raptors have a lot of talent on their roster, but they’ve run into a bunch of injuries this year. So, if they can land a top pick in this year’s draft to pair with Ingram, who is only 27 years old, and the rest of their core, they’ll be in a good place moving forward.

Again, Ingram’s mid-range-heavy offensive game may not be ideal for today’s NBA landscape, but he’s undoubtedly a talented scorer. That’s worth the investment for the Raptors, especially since they didn’t have to give up any young pieces.

Grade: A

Grade the trade: Pelicans trade Brandon Ingram to Raptors

This deal is incomplete for the Pelicans, but it’s not great in the first place

Ingram is a 27-year-old former All-Star, and all they were able to get in return for him was a package of two veterans, a first-round pick, and a second-round pick. And the first-rounder is the Indiana Pacers’ in 2026, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, which likely will be in the 20s.

Getting anything in return for Ingram is a good thing, as he was going to leave New Orleans in free agency this summer, but this return is pretty rough.

If they can flip Brown and Olynyk for more picks or pieces by the deadline, then their grade will improve, but for the time being, it’s not ideal (but it was probably all they could get).

Grade: C-