Rich Paul Admits Toronto Raptors Gave Brandon Ingram a Deal He Wouldn’t Get Elsewhere

NBA agent Rich Paul doesn’t think Brandon Ingram would have landed a $120 million contract in free agency.

That is what the super-agent said last week on Sirius XM Radio while discussing Ingram’s new deal with the Toronto Raptors, a three-year extension worth $120 million that includes a player option in the final season. The Raptors moved quickly to finalize the deal after acquiring Ingram from the New Orleans Pelicans at the trade deadline.

“I felt like had he got to the open market there was not much opportunity there,” Paul said. “So he’s making $40 million per year over the next three years. That probably wouldn’t have been there for him had we got to quote-unquote free agency.”

It is a rare public admission from an agent that a client may have been overpaid. The Raptors did not face immediate pressure to sign Ingram. Letting him play out the final year of his deal could have saved them money, particularly in a summer where they are flirting with the luxury tax. But it also would have meant taking on risk. As Toronto learned with Fred VanVleet, free agency is unpredictable and sometimes painful.

The price to acquire Ingram was not especially high, reflecting his status as a talented but injury-prone player on an expiring contract. Toronto traded Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, and a first-round pick to New Orleans. The idea was to buy low on a former All-Star with scoring upside, then try to make the fit work next to Scottie Barnes.

The Raptors chose not to wait to extend Ingram. The 27-year-old got his deal, even with limited leverage. The biggest contract handed out this summer to a player switching teams was Myles Turner’s four-year, $108.9 million agreement with Milwaukee. The market was tight, with the league’s new collective bargaining agreement putting pressure on front offices to avoid long-term or expensive commitments for mid-tier stars.

Toronto is betting on Ingram’s upside, health, and fit in a retooled offense. The short term of the deal provides some flexibility, and the player option allows Ingram to opt out if his value improves. Still, Paul’s comments suggest the Raptors paid a price the market likely would not have matched.