The Toronto Raptors will trade for Brandon Ingram
In the midst of a somewhat disappointing year, it will be interesting to see how the Toronto Raptors approach the NBA Trade Deadline. Will they emerge as big sellers or perhaps will they open the door to possibly making a big move for an impact player in an attempt to expedite their rebuild? If I had to guess right now, I'd probably lean on this team making a small move and continuing to practice patience on this rebuild. However, if there's one thing we know about this front office, it's that you can never predict what they may have up their sleeve.
Over the last few days, the Raptors have been linked to one interesting name - Brandon Ingram. As is the case generally in the NBA, where there's smoke, there's often a fire. Heading into the final few days before the NBA Trade Deadline, I predict that the Raptors will make a strong play for the All-Star forward and strike a deal for him. In an attempt to find an impactful player to build next to Scottie Barnes, there are many reasons why targeting Ingram ahead of the trade deadline could make sense for Toronto.
Ingram fits the timeline of Barnes and the rest of the Raptors core and would be a natural fit on the offensive end of the floor. Whether the Raptors will be up to the task of paying him the expensive contract that he's likely going to demand during the offseason is an entirely different story. However, it would be such a Raptors move to take a flier on Ingram (when seemingly no one else is willing to) and figure out the logistics of a potential contract extension later (assuming the trade ends up working in the Raptors' favor over the second half of this season).
I predict the Raptors are going to do what they always do heading into the NBA Trade Deadline - operate behind the scenes and pounce if the right splash move becomes available. This time around, I wouldn't be surprised if that involved making a bold move for Ingram. At this point, this is a move that could end up working out for both sides.