Brandon Ingram officially signed his contract extension with the Toronto Raptors.
The excitement level is sky high for the Raptors after they pulled off the big trade for Ingram ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline.
However, Toronto might have to wait a while until Ingram makes his Raptors debut.
During his introductory press conference Ingram said there’s no timetable for his return. He has been dealing with an ankle injury that has kept him out since Dec. 7. He said he’s done a lot of work on the court and in the weight room as he looks to make his return “hopefully soon.”
Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic spoke about Ingram’s return and said that the most important thing is to get him healthy for the summer and for next season. The plan is to be smart with his ramp up and reevaluate after every two weeks, per TSN’s Josh Lewenberg.
It doesn’t sound like Ingram will be back any time soon. It was initially reported by Sportsnet’s Michael Grange that Ingram would be out at least a month. Therefore, it seems like the Raptors won’t see Ingram until March at the earliest.
The Raptors taking a slow approach with Ingram’s return isn’t surprising. The team has made it clear that they have their sights set on the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft.
Toronto currently has the 5th worst record in the NBA and with 28 games left it would be wise for them to try and remain a bottom team to closeout the year.
The Raptors are likely to play it extra safe with Ingram and bring him back for a few games towards the end of the season just to get a feel of his fit with Toronto’s core. But don’t expect to see much of the 27-year-old as the team gears up for what they hope to be a competitive 2025-26 season.
Brandon Ingram speaks at introductory press conference
Brandon Ingram was welcomed to the Toronto Raptors at his introductory press conference on Feb. 12 as he officially signed his contract extension with the team.
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