Subscribe
Follow Us
Recently, the Toronto Raptors made one of the more surprising moves of the NBA trade deadline by acquiring Brandon Ingram from the New Orleans Pelicans. Ingram has since signed an extension with the franchise to keep him there the next three seasons, giving the Raptors another building block to work with.
Some have now pointed to wing RJ Barrett as a potentially awkward fit alongside Ingram and fellow forward Scottie Barnes, and recently, NBA insider Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports shed light on the Raptors' long-term thinking regarding Ingram, per Marc Stein's Substack.
“Ingram's addition sparks a natural question about Barrett's fit in all this, since he's another wing scorer who holds a $25-plus million salary,” reported Fischer. “…Barrett (is) someone who has to be monitored as a potential trade candidate once the offseason arrives.”
A potentially awkward fit
While Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett, and Scottie Barnes will certainly make for a formidable trio who can make things happen on both ends of the floor, there will be questions as to whether or not the team would be better off investing some of its resources into other positions of the floor, including most notably point guard, where Toronto lacks a reliable option at the current juncture.
Toronto could also use as much shooting as they can get, as Gradey Dick and Immanuel Quickley are the only two reliable threats that opposing teams have to gameplan for currently.
Ingram's integration into the lineup should solve some of the team's floor spacing issues, as the former Pelican can score from multiple levels and also create his own shot when he needs to. Ingram also gives the Raptors a degree of defensive versatility due to his immense wingspan and athleticism.
Still, there will be plenty of questions this offseason as to how Masai Ujiri and company want to allocate their remaining resources, and whether or not moving Barrett may be a part of their plan to do so.
In any case, the Raptors will take the court for the final time before the All-Star break on Wednesday evening at home vs the Cleveland Cavaliers.