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he moves

• The Raptors traded Bruce Brown, Olynyk, the Indiana Pacers’ 2026 top-four protected first-round pick and their own 2031 second-round pick to the New Orleans Pelicans for Ingram.

This trade fits seamlessly from a cap perspective. Ingram agreed to waive a trade bonus he was due, which would have been paid by the Pelicans but applied to his cap/tax hit for Toronto. Waiving the kicker saves the Raptors about $2.1 million in tax space, with the net of the deal adding about $200,000 to the Raptors’ books, which they had plenty of room for.

(Ingram had no need to waive the trade kicker, other than to start the relationship off on the right foot. It could suggest his side feels good about his next deal.)

Moving Olynyk also clears $13.4 million off the books for 2025-26. That money is something New Orleans would have priced in when determining the draft pick return here.

• Toronto then dealt Davion Mitchell to the Miami Heat for P.J. Tucker, the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2026 second-round pick and cash.

While the Raptors could get creative in structuring this deal to create a new trade exception, doing so would leave them with too little of their mid-level exception to sign a player to a long-term deal for the rest of the season (more on this shortly). I’m working under the assumption they did a straight swap, then, as while Tucker makes about $5 million more than Mitchell, the salary matching math works.

• Finally, the Raptors traded a 2026 top-55 protected second-round pick to the Pacers for James Wiseman and cash.

While Wiseman has an interesting contract and was (is?) an interesting prospect, he was not long for Toronto. Indiana was barely below the luxury tax, and getting out of Wiseman’s $2.2 million contract gives them more breathing room on the buyout market. Toronto, meanwhile, had the space to absorb him and will get cash for its troubles. The pick the Raptors are sending is a “fake second;” the league rules require you to send something in a trade, so here the Raptors send a pick that will never convey unless they get really good, really fast.

The Raptors have already waived Wiseman.

Here’s how things look right now:

PROJECTED 25/26

Immanuel Quickley

$32,500,000

RJ Barrett

$27,705,357

Jakob Poeltl

$19,500,000

Scottie Barnes

$38,661,700

Gradey Dick

$4,900,560

Ochai Agbaji

$6,383,525

Ja’Kobe Walter

$3,638,160

Jonathan Mogbo

$1,955,377

Jamal Shead

$1,955,377

Jamison Battle

$1,955,377

TOTAL

$139,155,433







No. 5 overall pick

$9,069,852

NEW TOTAL

$148,255,285






CAP

$154,646,800

CAP SPACE

$3,875,779

TAX

$187,895,400

TAX SPACE

$39,670,115

Hey, congrats, you got a pretty good pick! You now only have about $39 million for Ingram and your final three roster spots. In the champagne problem category, landing Cooper Flagg would leave the Raptors just an estimated $34.9 million for Ingram and their final three spots.

There are a few ways you can continue to tweak and make this livable. A team-friendly deal for Ingram goes a long way. You could also just spend into the tax! There’s nothing prohibiting the Raptors from doing so, they’re a big-market team, and while they’ve only ever spent into the tax in 2018-19, you don’t have to be under the tax until the final day of the season. Theoretically, you could operate above the tax, see how things go, and then try to get under the tax in-season if things aren’t clicking; that’s tough from a leverage standpoint, but we see it every year.

Raptors_128 wrote:So what I get from this is that they can’t afford to bring back Boucher unless RJ is traded.

Raptors_128 wrote:So what I get from this is that they can’t afford to bring back Boucher unless RJ is traded.

ItsDanger wrote:I brought up something similar in the Ingram trade thread but was told "so what". This cap situation has little flexibility and likely means bench is just young unproven players.

douggood wrote:

ItsDanger wrote:I brought up something similar in the Ingram trade thread but was told "so what". This cap situation has little flexibility and likely means bench is just young unproven players.

its either Ingram at sf, RJ at sg and Dick on bench

or RJ at sf Dick at sg and MLE on bench

which would you rather have?

bonjovi0308 wrote:Rj is the odd man out

agkagk wrote:We are 100% a tax team next year.

Our roster is set, we don’t need flexibility

Rj quick Ingram Scottie Jacob
Dick shead acbaji mogbo veteran stretch 4/5
Walter, battle, the 8th pick, more bench mob kids

All in one year.

Incredible work here.

Indeed wrote:

bonjovi0308 wrote:Rj is the odd man out

I really don't see the fit with Quickley who is more SG as well, not sure why people claim Barrett is the odd man out.