Is a top four of Brandon Ingram, Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett the future in Toronto?
It is for the next few years. The Raptors traded for Ingram at the deadline, and now — before he has even played a game in Toronto — the team and Ingram agreed to a three-year, $120 million extension with a player option on the final year, a story broken by Shams Charania of The Athletic (who got it from Ingram’s agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports). This was not a huge surprise, reports after Ingram was traded to Toronto was that the two sides were on the road to an extension.
Toronto already had Barnes, Quickley and Barrett locked up until the summer of 2027.
Ingram’s extension is an interesting bet on future years in Toronto. This season the Raptors should prioritize the lottery considering their record of 16-37, six games back of Chicago for the final play-in spot in the East. As of today, the Raptors would have the fifth-best lottery odds (stay there and there is a 42% chance they would move into the top four, including a 10.5% chance at the No. 1 pick and Cooper Flagg, but also a 55.7% chance they slide back).
For the long-term, are a series of midrange snipers like Ingram, Barnes and Barrett a good fit together in the modern NBA? This is a team that will be solid to good, but what is the ceiling for this core?
Ingram has not played a game since early December due to a severe ankle sprain and there is no timeline for his return. He averaged 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists a game shooting 37.4% from 3 for New Orleans this season before he was injured.
