Toronto Raptors

After being acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans at last week's trade deadline, new Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram won't be going anywhere anytime soon.

Ingram's agents confirmed to ESPN's Shams Charania that he agreed to a three-year, $120 million contract extension with the Raptors that includes a player option for the 2027-28 season.

Ingram was set to become a free agent this summer, but ESPN's Bobby Marks pointed out that Tuesday's extension makes him the latest player to come off the board from what was expected to be a star-studded free-agent class:

The Raptors sent forwards Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk along with a first-round pick and a second-round pick to the Pelicans to acquire Ingram, who had spent the last six seasons in the Big Easy. The 27-year-old has been sidelined with an ankle injury since December, but he averaged 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 22 games with New Orleans this season. Charania and Marks noted that he's one of just six NBA players to average 20 points, five rebounds and five assists in each of the last four seasons.

Ingram's extension locks him in as part of a talented young core in Toronto that includes forward Scottie Barnes and guards Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett.

The Raptors rank 13th in the NBA with a 16-37 record and are likely to miss the playoffs for the third straight season. However, Ingram's deal should provide some optimism that Toronto will have a bright future when all its pieces come together.

The Toronto Raptors were reportedly thinking beyond the rest of this season when they traded for Brandon Ingram.

Toronto acquired Ingram from the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Bruce Brown Jr., Kelly Olynyk, a first-round pick and a second-round pick, and it was somewhat surprising to see the Raptors in a buyer's position for someone who is signed through just the rest of the 2024-25 campaign.

However, ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported on his Hoop Collective podcast (42-minute mark) that "it sounds like they are going to do a multiyear deal that is worth nine figures. I'll just leave it at that."

That the 16-35 Raptors who look nothing like playoff contenders this season are thinking beyond the upcoming stretch run makes more sense and also follows a report from ESPN's Shams Charania.

Charania noted on SportsCenter (3:25 mark) that the Raptors are "trying to have Scottie Barnes there. They want to really build around him. For Brandon Ingram, last year of his contract, he's going to find a home, potentially, for the foreseeable future."

Barnes is signed through the 2029-30 campaign and is just 23 years old. Having him and the 27-year-old Ingram on similar timelines would allow the front office to build around them as cornerstones as it attempts to reestablish Toronto as an Eastern Conference contender.

However, that will require Ingram to remain healthy.

He has appeared in just 18 games this season and hasn't played more than 64 games since he was a rookie in 2016-17. His overall talent is not in question, but the Raptors will look for more durability moving forward.

That is especially true if they give him a nine-figure contract.

The Toronto Raptors didn't keep Davion Mitchell for long.

Toronto reportedly traded the guard to the Miami Heat on Thursday in exchange for PJ Tucker, a second-round draft pick and cash, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.

Mitchell's future was under the spotlight, as he is scheduled for restricted free agency after the 2024-25 season. While the Raptors could have matched whatever offer he received on the open market, they decided to trade him before he potentially looked to move elsewhere.

It is still somewhat surprising to see Toronto move on from the guard so quickly after it acquired him from the Sacramento Kings.

That trade happened around the 2024 NBA draft, as the Kings swapped Mitchell, Sasha Vezenkov and Jamal Shead to the Raptors for Jalen McDaniels.

It also meant moving on from Mitchell for the Kings, which surely wasn't an easy decision since he was the No. 9 overall pick of the 2021 NBA draft and wasted no time making an impact with the best season of his career to this point as a rookie.

He averaged 11.5 points, 4.2 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 0.7 steals per game while shooting 41.8 percent from the field and 31.6 percent from deep. However, he had a smaller role in his second and third seasons and saw his minutes per game drop from 27.7 as a rookie to 18.1 in his second season to 15.3 in his third season.

As a result, his numbers dropped to 5.3 points, 1.9 assists and 1.3 rebounds a night during the 2023-24 campaign before the Kings traded him to Toronto.

Mitchell at least improved his shooting efficiency at 45.2 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from deep last season, and he responded with 6.3 points and 4.6 assists per game during his first season with the Raptors. Mitchell is shooting 43.4 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from three this season.

The shooting ultimately determines his ceiling since he is versatile enough to defend multiple positions at just 26 years old. His quickness on the perimeter allows him to stay in front of ball-handlers, and opponents shot 2.0 percent worse from deep and 2.1 percent worse from greater than 15 feet than their normal averages when he defended them in 2023-24, per NBA.com.

It isn't difficult to envision Mitchell becoming a key contributor with a larger role as his career continues given the defense and his improved shooting.

Perhaps the Heat will give him that role following this trade, as he still has a promising future even if his overall production has trended in the wrong direction of late.

It was somewhat surprising to see the 16-35 Toronto Raptors in a buyer's position with a Wednesday trade ahead of Thursday's 3 p.m. ET deadline, but they reportedly have a plan in place.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported they traded Bruce Brown Jr., Kelly Olynyk, one first-round pick and one second-round pick to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Brandon Ingram.

"For the Raptors, they're trying to have Scottie Barnes there," Charania explained on SportsCenter (3:25 mark). "They want to really build around him. For Brandon Ingram, last year of his contract, he's going to find a home, potentially, for the foreseeable future."

That meant dealing a solid role player in Brown, but it always felt like a precursor to a future trade when the Raptors picked up the $23 million team option on his contract ahead of the 2024-25 season.

Toronto also signaled a rebuild was coming around Barnes last season when it traded both Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby. The team seemed to be building around Barnes, R.J. Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Gradey Dick, Davion Mitchell and Ja'Kobe Alter, with an eye toward the future.

Brown, meanwhile, is the sort of player better suited to a supporting role around star players on a contending team. The 28-year-old averaged 9.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 52 games (11 starts) with the Raptors the last two seasons. And in 33 games with the Indiana Pacers last season he averaged a career-best 12.1 points per game.

He was an important role player for the Denver Nuggets in the team's championship run during the 2022-23 campaign, averaging 11.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 35.8 percent from the field.

In the two seasons prior to that, he added vital depth and versatility for the Brooklyn Nets before the Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving experiment blew up.

Yet the Raptors needed more than that around Barnes if they are going to develop into an Eastern Conference contender in the near future, and Ingram provides a much higher ceiling.

It will first require signing him to an extension, but Charania's report suggested the front office will look to do just that. At his best, Ingram can give the Raptors another go-to scorer, and he is averaging 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game this season.

Durability is a concern seeing how he hasn't played since Dec. 7 and hasn't played more than 64 games since his rookie campaign in 2016-17, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see Toronto take it slow with his return to make sure he is fully healthy.

After all, his real impact could be beyond 2024-25 as a building block alongside Barnes if the team is able to keep him long term.

The Toronto Raptors could be a team to watch ahead of the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported Tuesday that "executives around the league are keeping tabs on Bruce Brown and Chris Boucher, who are in the final year of their contracts, and stretch-five Kelly Olynyk."

Scotto explained Brown is someone who could be included in a multi-team deal involving Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler since the Raptors guard is playing on an expiring $23 million contract. However, he also noted other playoff contenders hope Toronto is unable to find a trade involving Brown, which would make him a candidate to hit the buyout market.

That the Raptors are looking to sell off some of their role players comes as no surprise.

After all, they are 14-32 and in 12th place in the Eastern Conference standings. With Brown and Boucher in the final year of their deals and Olynyk signed through just the 2025-26 campaign, it is unrealistic to expect any of them to be significant contributors the next time Toronto is a true contender.

Even getting minor draft assets or younger players back in return could help the front office facilitate something of a rebuild for a team well on its way to a third straight season missing the playoffs.

Brown, Boucher and Olynyk can all be valuable role pieces with postseason experience for any contender. The former two have championship rings, while the latter has appeared in 48 championship games throughout his career.

The Toronto Raptors have "emerged as a team to watch" regarding New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram as the Feb. 6 trade deadline looms.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported the latest in his Stein Line newsletter.

"While the Heat have undoubtedly intensified their efforts to bring an end to the contentious Butler saga by finding a deal before the Feb. 6 trade deadline at 3 p.m. ET, I'm told Toronto has emerged as a team to watch when it comes to Ingram," Stein wrote.

Ingram has averaged 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 18 games. He has been out since Dec. 7 after suffering a significant low left ankle sprain against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The 27-year-old Ingram is a name to watch before the trade deadline for a few reasons.

First, he's an impending free agent, and he and the Pels were unable to come to terms on a contract extension in talks last summer, per ESPN's Brian Windhorst.

Second, this has been a nightmarish season for the 12-35 Pels, who are second-last in the Western Conference thanks largely to a litany of injuries throughout the roster. It's fair to wonder about the team's outlook given its significant struggles, and the Pels are perhaps best-served trading Ingram, acquiring assets and rebuilding for future seasons.

Third, Ingram is a productive player when healthy, averaging 23.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game for New Orleans since 2019.

Now Toronto is a struggling and rebuilding team itself, a 14-32 team mixed with young and exciting talents to build around and some veterans. Stein gave some more insight on the Raptors' approach right now.

"Word is that Toronto is involved in a number of conversations as the trade deadline approaches, fully immersed in the search for players and opportunities that can position the franchise to rediscover relevancy while assessing all of their options with the trade-friendly contracts possessed by Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, Chris Boucher and Davion Mitchell," Stein wrote.

Right now, Toronto is pretty far from being a playoff team, let alone a championship contender, sitting five-and-a-half games behind the Chicago Bulls for the last play-in spot. The Raptors likely need some lottery luck to hit big on new talents in the coming years, but adding a player like Ingram would certainly make them more competitive as well.

For now, Ingram remains a Pelican, and the Raptors have been quiet on the trade front. Both things can change soon enough, though, with the trade deadline now nine days away.

The Toronto Raptors are expected to be open for business ahead of February's trade deadline, and no surprises there—with the team just 10-32 on the season, selling off role players and veterans for draft assets and young players makes sense.

Two players to keep an eye on are big men Kelly Olynyk and Chris Boucher.

According to NBA reporter Marc Stein, "Olynyk is in the mix alongside Chicago's Nikola Vučević, Washington's Jonas Valančiūnas and Portland's Robert Williams III on the list of big men perceived to be available via trade leading up to the deadline."

He added that Olynyk was "nearly traded" to the Golden State Warriors ahead of last season's trade deadline while he was still with the Utah Jazz, but was instead dealt to Toronto.

The 33-year-old is averaging just 6.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per game in 19 appearances, coming off the bench for the Raptors with Jakob Poeltl starting at center for the Raptors. He is shooting 45.2 percent from three, and teams looking for a scrappy, floor-stretching big man could do worse than Olynyk.

As for Boucher, Stein reported that he's "not regarded as a likely buyout candidate, sources say, even if he stays put with the Raptors beyond the trade deadline. Word is that the 32-year-old big man with the floor-spacing outside touch—while drawing trade interest from various teams—has interest in a contract extension with the Raptors."

He's seen a bigger role than Olynyk, averaging 10.4 points and 4.5 rebounds in 37 appearances while shooting 35.9 percent from beyond the arc. And it sounds as though he's interested in remaining with the Raptors as size and experience off the bench.

The Toronto Raptors are "very motivated" to deal veteran wing Bruce Brown before the Feb. 6 trade deadline, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer.

Fischer reported Brown's trade value appears to have taken a hit over the last two years.

"There were roughly a dozen teams, sources say, in line to offer Brown the full MLE during free agency in the summer of 2023—fresh off Brown's critical role in helping Denver win the first NBA championship in franchise history," he wrote. "Now rival executives have been waiting to see Brown return to health and peak performance before committing to a trade for him."

Fischer added that the Los Angeles Lakers or Denver Nuggets could pursue Brown should he hit the buyout market.

Brown was a key role player for the Nuggets during their 2023 Finals run. He averaged 12.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 20 postseason games.

Absent trading away Michael Porter Jr., Denver doesn't have many ways to upgrade the supporting cast prior to the deadline. Signing Brown to a cut-rate contract would be a sensible gamble.

On the Lakers, meanwhile, The Athletic's Jovan Buha reported on his Buha's Block podcast in December that they "like" Brown and chased him during the 2023 offseason before he signed with the Indiana Pacers.

The Raptors picked up Brown's $23 million team option for 2024-25 in the obvious hope they could flip him at a later date. Unfortunately for Toronto, the 28-year-old's recovery from right knee surgery in September has limited him to nine appearances so far. He didn't make his season debut until a 136-107 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Dec. 29.

Between that and his sizable salary, finding a worthwhile trade—or any trade for that matter—might be easier said than done. Interested suitors could try to call the Raptors' bluff and see if he gets bought out.

If push comes to shove, getting off some or most of his outstanding money is worth it when Toronto isn't going anywhere in the present. The team is 10-32 and 14th in the Eastern Conference.

That might be what the Lakers, Nuggets and anybody else is banking on.

The Toronto Raptors are reportedly hoping to get involved in a trade headlined by Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler as a third or fourth party.

According to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star, the Raptors don't want Butler given that he is 35 years of age and they are a rebuilding team, but sources have indicated that they would like to play a role if he is moved before the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline.

Smith noted that the Raptors have some valuable expiring contracts in Bruce Brown ($23 million), Chris Boucher ($10.8 million) and Davion Mitchell ($6.4 million), which could make them ideal candidates to be a facilitator in a three- or four-team deal, while netting them some draft pick compensation.

Smith added that while the Raptors would prefer to not take on long-term money, they would "most assuredly" take some salary on for next season if it meant securing additional draft assets.

At 10-31, the Raptors have the third-worst record in the Eastern Conference this season, putting them in the mix for a top pick in the 2025 NBA draft.

If they are able to add a young star such as Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey or Dylan Harper, plus additional high-upside draft picks, to play alongside Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, it could go a long way toward turning things around in short order in Toronto.

As for Butler, the 14-year NBA veteran may be nearing the end of the line with regard to his time in Miami.

ESPN's Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst reported earlier this month that Butler requested a trade, and the Heat later suspended him seven games for "multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team."

As part of the suspension statement, the Heat said that they would listen to trade offers involving the six-time All-Star.

Charania reported this week that Butler had a face-to-face meeting with Heat president Pat Riley, during which he reiterated his desire to be traded.

Butler is a highly accomplished player who has led the Heat to the NBA Finals twice, so it seems likely that there will be at least some interest from contending teams in acquiring him.

Accommodating his $48.8 million cap hit could be difficult for interested teams, though, plus there is the looming possibility of Butler exercising his $52.4 million player option for next season, which would be a huge expense for teams to take on.

With regard to Butler's 2024-25 salary, a team like the Raptors playing the role of facilitator may be necessary in order to make it the slightest bit possible for a team to land him.

Of course, the Heat are in the Eastern Conference playoff mix at 20-19 and likely don't want to concede the season, so a Butler trade will likely also come down to whether they are able to get the type of compensation that can help them now and in the future.