The New York Knicks watched from afar as the Raptors agreed to trade Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks, a first-round pick swap, and two second-round picks to the Clippers for Kawhi Leonard. That deal is on hold until the league's investigation into LA's alleged cap circumvention scandal is over, and it could result in the trade falling through entirely.
It wouldn't be so much about Toronto trying to welcome Gradey, its No. 13 pick in 2023, back into the fold, but more so about what it'd mean for the organization and Ingram. Unless the Raptors find another BI trade (and they could do that), they'd be stuck in the awkward position of trying to make him feel wanted, all while needing him to succeed for them to be able to do so.
Toronto agreed to give up so much for Leonard because of its chances of making another championship run with him. The Raptors would be more of a threat to dethrone the Knicks if they had the star back on their roster, even with his injury concerns.
With Ingram, though, they'd revert to being more of the afterthought they already were, on top of the tension that would likely exist between him and Toronto.
Raptors would be stuck with awkward Brandon Ingram problem
Let's go back to just a few weeks ago and look at how things shook out between Boston and Jaylen Brown after the team offered him to Milwaukee in a trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo. That didn't work out the way they thought, and led them to send the guard to the Sixers.
If the Celtics had kept Brown, there would be questions about whether the relationship was fractured beyond repair and how it would negatively affect Boston throughout the season. The trade they made with Philadelphia might've put them in a worse spot, but that's not the point of this.
For the Raptors to even have a chance to emerge as a top team in the East, much less the entire conference, they'll need buy-in from Ingram, if he's still around. What they won't need are lingering feelings about whether he's truly wanted and what his future will look like in Toronto, but that will be a whole lot easier said than done.
No matter what happens, New York is still the best team in the East. The Knicks don't shy away from challenges; they embrace them, which is, ironically, what the Raptors would have to do if Ingram ends up back in Toronto, as their season would depend on it.
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