Last year, my colleague Will Guillory suggested the following “fake” trade to me in his effort to find a new home for Brandon Ingram: Toronto would receive Ingram for Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk and Indiana’s 2026 first-round pick, which the Raptors got in the Pascal Siakam trade. I said the Raptors wouldn’t do the trade, even though it was fair, because it would put them in a difficult economic position, correctly predicting the three-year, $120 million extension Ingram eventually signed with the Raptors.
The two teams ended up making that trade, with an extra second-rounder going to the Pelicans. So, when I say that these fake trades, submitted by readers, will not happen, please remember that I can be hilariously, specifically incorrect about these things.