This is Absolutely DELUSIONAL…

This is Absolutely DELUSIONAL…

They are absolutely delusional. As we all know, the Toronto Raptors made a big swing at this year’s trade deadline, acquiring Brandon Ingram in a package that sent out very minimal assets in order to bring Brandon Ingram back. A factor is his impending free agency as well as his injury status. And we’ve all been excited about has his fit around a Scotty Barnes as well as comments made from the young players on the roster, from the organization about how well Brandon Ingram has been fitting within this Toronto Raptor team despite not even playing a single game yet. So everything has been positive in terms of what we’ve heard about Brandon Ingram and how things have worked out, you know, in terms of his tenure with the Toronto Raptors. of course, very excited to see him on the court. But a new report, a new sort of take from New Orleans Pelicans outlet came out and absolutely ripped the Toronto Raptors, calling the team this trade an absolute finesse for the New Orleans Pelicans. And frankly, it is the most delusional thing I’ve ever seen. So, we’re going to break down what this take is, break it down in terms of why this is just an absolutely stupid argument and kind of dive into why Raptors fans are still extremely excited about Brandon Ingram being on the Toronto Raptors. So, lots of stuff to dive into in this video. Before we do, folks, again, you guys have been crushing it, hitting that subscribe button, trying to get as many subs as we can to build up the team as we uh, you know, push to capture that flag. The draft lottery just days away here now at this point. So, make sure you guys hit that subscribe button if you don’t want to miss a single thing regarding this Toronto Raptor team, especially as we lead up to some really exciting points out here in this off season. So, lots of stuff to dive into, but folks, we all know the Toronto Raptors made this trade for Brandon Ingram out there at this year’s trade deadline, sending out Bruce Brown, Kelly Olen, a first round pick from the Indiana Pacers, and a second round pick, you know, future 20, 30 second round pick for the Toronto Raptors. So, that was the trade details. And then we acquired a guy that’s been an all-star. It’s one of the most elite guys in the NBA. But a new outlet, you know, it’s the time off seasonason people start spewing some crazy takes. New Orleans Pelicans outlet came out and had a lot to say. Such from the Pelicans debrief. Uh the New Orleans Pelicans convinced the Toronto Raptors to give up Bruce Brown Kelly a 26 first and 2031 second rounder for Brandon Ingram. This was after he could not work out an extension with New Orleans. Ingram was leaving the franchise and since fired David Griffin did a fantastic job at getting a real value for an expiring contract. And the headline of this article was, you know, this was an absolute finesse for the New Orleans Pelicans. Uh, of that language, of those lines. And basically, it goes on to say, "The Raptors quickly worked out a three-year $120 million extension, which proves they did not see him as overpaid. Toronto believes in the all-star, but New Orleans had plenty of data on why this was a mistake. The Pelicans made the playoffs twice during his six seasons and never won a playoff round. Ingram was not the answer. To make matters worse for Toronto, the 27year-old just played 18 games this season and he never suited up for the Toronto Raptors. His last game this season was on December 7th where Ingram had a severe ankle injury which furthers a trend. So this is the initial context they’re giving out to Brandon Ingram and stuff. I’ll let them I’ll start off this with their kind of spiel on terms of why this is a bad deal for the Toronto Raptors of why this was a mistake. But essentially, they’re coming out and saying this was an absolute steal, a finesse for the New Orleans Pelicans. The Raptors just made an absolute blunder in terms of acquiring Brandon Ingram out there from this Pelican squad. So, that’s their whole narrative. And in terms of diving in specifics as to the why as to the why this is a bad move, essentially Brandon Ingram struggles to stay out there on the floor. He played 79 games during his rookie season with the Lakers. His next highest game total was 64 and that was in 2024. He’s appeared in fewer than 60 games in five of his last eight years and averages just 42% over the past three seasons. So not what you’d expect from someone making $40 million per year. Over the last four seasons, the Pelicans went 53 and 93 when Ingram was out and 95 and 87 when he played. They would have been back in the playin mix if it was the healthy BI. Instead, he finished with the force. uh the team finished with the fourth worst record in the NBA. So firstly is the injury situation and we’ll talk about this because this is all factored into the price and uh you know the discussions there on this front. So you know that’s the first main crux of their argument. The second one is uh the Pelicans were letting him go either way. Fans should look at this trade as a massive win. Ingram was not playing for the Pelicans in the 2025 2026 season to get two role players including Kelly Olen and two draft picks was a massive win. Olen is an under contract is under contract for the upcoming season and will be a valuable rotation. Big man, New Orleans will have the Pacers 26 first round pick to upgrade their roster in the distance second rounder as a trade chip. So this is their discussion and why they threw out a giant headline, a giant sort of take on how, you know, this is a finesse for the Pelicans. This is something they cooked the Toronto Raptors on. The trap Raptors are stupid for making this deal. All of those types of things. Okay, frankly, I don’t think I don’t think the arguments they laid out make any sense in terms of supporting their arguments. I mean, firstly, they brought up the record with Ingram and without him. And you know, I’ll show that there again, right? This leans in the favor of why Ingram is a great player. Like 53 and 93 when he was out and 95 and 87. Again, it’s not like some ludicrous record, but the Pelicans have been a good team. That win differential is absolutely ridiculous. And a lot of people say, "Oh, Ingram’s not a win now player or he’s not a winning guy. He’s just a stat sheet suffered stuff. This specific stat that they threw out there indicates that Brandon Ingram is a winning guy. And yes, the injury situation is something that is a concern with Brandon Ingram. And it’s factored in the price because if we look at the price of this trade, you know, the whole argument, the Raptors weren’t keeping Bruce Brown. He was just a trade chip to facilitate one of these deals. Kelly Olen with the Raptors moving in that younger direction. I mean, Chris Buchet wasn’t even getting run at the end of this season. So, you know, Jonathan Mo is going to swallow up all those minutes for instead of a Kelly Ool Linux. So, even though I think he’s a good basketball player, he wasn’t going to fit on this team longer term. And then that first round pick, look at how good the Pacers have been over the course of this year. You know, with a healthy Hallebertton for an entire season, that’s going to be that pick is going to be in the late 20s, you know, going forward out there in the future and then a distant second. The Raptors gave up essentially a very, very late first round pick. two guys that weren’t really factored into the Raptor future. For a dude that if we look at the stats, 22 points per game, 5.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 37% on the three-point line at just 27 years old that you extend it. There’s no risk of him leaving. Of course, the risk at the time would be if you know Brand Ingrams didn’t sign an extension or wanted something ludicrous, a ludicrous uh contract extension to stay, you know, that’s something that wouldn’t work. The Raptors got him on a very reasonable deal in a shorter term deal. So even if the injury situation turns into something that’s not manageable, the Raptors are out from under the contract after a couple seasons. So that is just absurd. And like you know, Kelly Olen, Bruce Brown, not you see the stats, they’re not something that’s going to be overwhelming you in terms of how well how impactful they are as specific guys. And I think people underestimate how good Brandon Ingram is. There are only 10 players in the NBA last season that averaged over 22 points per game, five rebounds, and five assists. Only 10. And you look at those names, that is phenomenal company to be in. Giannis, Joic, Donic, Jason Tatum, Kate Gutty, Zion Williamson, who you know when he’s healthy, he’s a, you know, phenomenal player out there on the court. LeBron James, Tyler Herro, who had a breakout season this year, James Harden, and Brandon Ingram, that is an extremely short list that if you can get a guy in that group, in that stature, in that standing in terms of, you know, caliber of basketball player for Bruce Brown, Kelly Olitic, a first round pick, a second round pick, that is an absolute win. a steel just a robbery for the Toronto Raptors. Now, again, the you know, I’ve thrown out the term robbery, steal heist, all that stuff, you know, in terms of this, this is a heist for the Raptors, but it wasn’t like the Pelicans got finessed. I think the they were getting off of Ingram, they didn’t have much leverage, so they got a decent Holland return, and that’s the you know, if the headlines and stuff, the the roasting of the Toronto Raptors was involved in this article, wouldn’t be that uh, you know, frustrating, but the Raptors absolutely got an absolute win. you know, a robbery terms the NBA. It’s more of a robbery in the NBA. I’m surprised no other teams tried to swoop in and try to get this type of deal for Brandon Ingram out here at this point because again, it’s that’s a factor. And the last factor as well, right? Like Jamal Shed made a whole video on this recently came out and said Brandon Ingram, he has no uh ego. He’s not arrogant. He just excites us to play with a guy like that that is that good at basketball. And Brandon Ingram has just been a perfect culture fit. you know, people really enjoy him, how he’s impacting this team, and his fit around Scotty Barnes. He’s a complimentary star, and rarely do you get players that compliment each other so well in terms of one of these trade packages. So, I am ecstatic with this move. I think it’s crazy that people are insinuating this was a just dumb deal for the Toronto Raptors. I wanted to give my two cents on it. Let me know what you guys think about this in the comment section down below. You guys best think. Subscribe to the channel if you guys haven’t already. Anyways, I’m signing out. Check.

The Toronto Raptors made a big trade acquiring Brandon Ingram at this year’s trade deadline for minimal assets for a player of Ingram’s calibre. However, New Orleans Pelicans analysts have come out and made absolutely wild takes regarding the situation. Ben Rogers breaks down the absurdity of the updates.

Raptors Digest is a YouTube Channel that covers all the latest news, trades, reports, and rumours regarding the Toronto Raptors. We provide comprehensive coverage on topics such as game highlights, player performances, and in-depth analysis of team strategies. Our channel features discussions on key players like Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Gradey Dick, Jamal Shead, Bruce Brown and Jakob Poeltl, as well as insights from Head Coach Darko Rajaković and General Manager Masai Ujiri. Stay tuned for all the exciting updates and engaging content on everything Raptors!

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