Rajakovic: Ingram cleared for contact, ankle 'pain-free'

Forward Brandon Ingram has been medically cleared from the ankle sprain that prevented the former All-Star from making his Toronto Raptors debut in the second half of last season.

"He's pain-free, he's moving well, he got stronger," Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic said Thursday, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN. "He's in a really, really great spot."

Toronto acquired Ingram from the New Orleans Pelicans at the February trade deadline in exchange for Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, the Indiana Pacers' 2026 first-rounder, and the Raptors' own second-round pick in 2031. Days later, the team signed the former second overall pick to a three-year extension worth $120 million, averting his impending free agency and establishing him as a long-term complement to franchise star Scottie Barnes.

Ingram sprained his left ankle in a Dec. 7 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder and had already missed two months when he was dealt to Toronto. While there seemed to be a slim chance he would debut for the Raptors late in the regular season, the team officially shut him down in the final week after he received a platelet-rich plasma injection.

"He's been putting in a lot, a lot of work since the end of the season," Rajakovic told Lewenberg on Thursday. "Conditioning, rehab, and everything, he's in a really good spot. Really excited to see what this next stage brings to him."

Ingram averaged 22.2 points, second-best on the Pelicans, in 18 games last season. He added 5.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists per contest while posting shooting splits of 46.5/37.4/85.5.