Report: Brandon Ingram Wanted Pelicans To Trade Him To Raptors Or Hawks

According to NBA reporter Josh Lewenberg of TSN, Brandon Ingram wanted the New Orleans Pelicans to trade him to the Toronto Raptors or Atlanta Hawks. 

Ingram got his wish, as the Pelicans sent him to the Raptors. 

“According to multiple reports and confirmed by TSN, Ingram had targeted Toronto or Atlanta as his ideal landing spots,” Lewenberg wrote. “Their familiarity with his representatives – Canadian agent Mike George and Rich Paul of Klutch Sports – allowed the Raptors to get a sense of his desire to play for the team and to have a rough framework of what it would cost to keep him.”

The Raptors signed Ingram to a three-year, $120 million contract extension after acquiring him. 

Ingram was the second overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft out of Duke. He has career averages of 19.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists with the Los Angeles Lakers and Pelicans. 

“At the beginning of the year, every time the schedule comes out, the first team we mark is Toronto and I don’t think it’s ever for the team, it’s for the city,” Ingram said. “And also, I just felt that I needed a fresh start. A fresh start somewhere where guys played hard and they listened. I heard good things about Scottie [Barnes], I heard good things about [Immanuel] Quickley and I thought it was a good fit offensively and defensively. And Darko [Rajakovic] had a part in that too.

“First thing that I heard [from the Raptors] is they want to make me an All-Star again and I’m going to be a big part of what they do moving forward. I want to come here and learn. I want to come here and be a sponge, shift the culture, make it a winning culture and come in here and just listen. Do whatever coach needs me to do and go out and try to be an example every single day.”

Ingram is currently dealing with an ankle injury. He’s averaging 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists this season while shooting 46.5% from the field, 37.4% from 3 and 85.5% from the free-throw line.