Brandon Ingram. Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Brandon Ingram breaks silence on trade to Toronto Raptors

Originally posted on New Orleans Pelicans on SI
By Liam Willerup | Last updated Feb 8, 2025 11:17 AM ET

Brandon Ingram was a rising star in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers, scoring 18.3 points per game in his third season in the league and still under the age of 22. However when LeBron James decided to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and join the Lakers, Ingram was packaged alongside other players and assets to the New Orleans Pelicans for Anthony Davis.

On Wednesday night, ahead of the NBA's trade deadline, Ingram's time in New Orleans officially came to an end when the team agreed to a deal to send him to the Toronto Raptors. Ingram averaged 23.0 points per game across 305 regular-season contests with the Pelicans, but he will move to the NBA's lone international team with the Raptors. After the move, Ingram took his social media to share a message with the Pelican fans.

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A post shared by Brandon X. Ingram (@1ngram4)

While Toronto's record isn't much better than New Orleans' at 16-35 as of Thursday, Ingram will join a young core of Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes. If Ingram ends up re-signing with the team this offseason, they have the pieces to be a playoff team in the East.

This article first appeared on New Orleans Pelicans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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