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The New Orleans Pelicans are trading Brandon Ingram to the Toronto Raptors, according to Shams Charania. In exchange for the former All-Star forward, the Pelicans will receive Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, a 2026 first-round pick via the Indiana Pacers and a second-round pick. 

The deal marks the end of Ingram’s six-year tenure in New Orleans and the biggest shakeup the Pelicans have undergone since dealing Anthony Davis to the Lakers in 2019.

Ingram, along with Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart and draft picks, represented the return in the Davis deal. The Pelicans hoped that Ingram and Zion Williamson could team up to be their centerpieces moving forward, and Ingram’s 2020 All-Star selection only strengthened that hope. That offseason, they signed him to a five-year max contract in restricted free agency after he won the Most Improved Player award.

But Ingram has yet to replicate that success. This season, Ingram is averaging 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists over his 18 games played, but he hasn’t seen the court since early December due to an ankle injury. He has not played more than 64 games in a season since as injuries have become an enduring theme. The same has been true for Williamson, and the duo, whose on-ball tendencies often clashed, never quite got in sync as foundation of a winning Pelicans team. With Ingram due a contract extension this offseason and little traction on a possible new deal, New Orleans spent the offseason trying and failing to move him.

Now, however, they’ve found a deal, and the Pelicans, sitting in 14th place in the Western Conference standings at 12-39, move toward a reset with what should be one of the top picks in the loaded 2025 NBA Draft. The Pelicans currently have the third-worst record in the league, which would come with a 14% chance of the No. 1 pick and a guaranteed top-seven selection. 

Ingram, meanwhile, moves on to a new home in Toronto, where he could potentially extend long-term and remain for the rest of his prime. It will be interesting to see what sort of deal the two sides negotiate, however, given Ingram’s injury history and the Raptors’ already top-heavy cap sheet. 

However long Ingram remains in Toronto, he’ll give the Raptors a reliable scorer and secondary playmaker who can help take some of the offensive burden away from the likes of Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett.