The Strangest Trade?

This year's trade deadline featured exciting moves. One standout was Fox joining Victor Wembanyama. This pairing is perfect as the young star now has a high-level point guard to play next to. Or Luka Doncic to the Lakers, which every team would make, as he is a top-five player in the league today. But the Toronto Raptors pulled an odd move by bringing in Brandon Ingram. RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes are hometown players who can fill similar roles. Ingram isn't a strong off-ball player. He is average in scoring, rebounding, and passing. So it does not make sense for Masai to pull a trade for a player looking to be in a win-now situation. A player who looks to get paid in the off-season. Already the CBA is tough so the fit of BI is odd on the court and even on the books.

The new CBA is crazy as we speak. Toronto has three long-term contracts already. Now, they will also need to give one to the 27-year-old Ingram. This could put the Raptors in a tricky spot. Brandon Ingram won’t settle for a deal that’s cheaper than anyone on this team. Scottie Barnes aside, he has done much more for the team. He definitely doesn't want to settle for a lower deal than Immanuel Quickley. The second pick in the 2016 draft is a former All-Star. He wants a big payday. But with the second apron, owners can lowball offers. Ingram may struggle to get the value he deserves. The Raptors might take a risk and pay him what he wants. They rarely land free agents.

Brandon Ingram's trade was not a high-risk reward as the team gave away salary to make this work. Kelly Olynyk and Bruce Brown have found a new home. The Raptors traded away a first-round pick from the Pacers. It is all about fit and how the core three of Barnes, RJ, and Quickley play off their new teammate. And another scary factor is the health of Brandon Ingram.

Fear of injuries will always be around Brandon Ingram as he has never had success in that department. He has struggled with a right ankle injury for the past two months. This has kept him off the court and hurt the Pelicans' development. Now, the Raptors take on the baggage of their injury-prone star. Which further makes me question this trade.

Brandon Ingram is now a Raptor, which is hard to register. The Raptors appear to be heading for a rebuild. So, they are trading for Brandon Ingram, a B-tier player. With his injury history and lack of health, I struggle to see how Masai and Rajaković will be able to coach this team. I understand their view since Toronto lacks a draw for free agents. It will be exciting to watch how the organization gets three players with similar styles to team up. They hope this will help them compete in a few years.

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