New Brandon Ingram Injury Announcement After Pelicans Trade

Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram has not played since getting traded by the New Orleans Pelicans

Dec 5, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) reacts to a play against Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

On February 5, 2025, it was initially reported that Brandon Ingram had been traded from the New Orleans Pelicans to the Toronto Raptors.

Fast forward to almost two months later, and Ingram has not played a game for the Toronto Raptors and has not played overall since December 7 after getting injured by Lu Dort.

While Raptors fans may have been hoping to have Ingram play this season, the latest announcement from head coach Darko Rajakovic makes it sound unlikely.

“He's been progressing with running," Rajakovic said. "He's been progressing with some lateral movement as well. He's still not doing anything in contact, but we've seen the progress.”

Brandon Ingram update from Darko Rajakovic:

“He's been progressing with running. He's been progressing with some lateral movement as well. He's still not doing anything in contact, but we've seen the progress.”

Next update in 10 days.

— Adam Laskaris (@adam_la2karis) March 23, 2025

Later in February, Ingram signed a three-year, $120 million extension with the Toronto Raptors in a move that confused many NBA fans. The team was doing a clear rebuild prior to making the move, and now many are unsure if they're aiming to just be a somewhat competitive team instead.

It's clear that the Toronto Raptors have no issue with whether or not Ingram returns this season. The Raptors only have 11 games left in the regular season and are six games below the Miami Heat for the 10th seed. There's no real desire to make the play-in tournament and the team can take as much time as they need for Ingram's return.

Jan 5, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Injured New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram watches from the bench against the Washington Wizards in the second quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

In the meantime, the New Orleans Pelicans may be breathing a slight sigh of relief that they aren't committed to Ingram as he recovers from injury.

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