Brandon Ingram's contract cements Raptors' status as one of NBA's most fun teams

The newest member of the Toronto Raptors has agreed to a deal to keep him in Canada for the short term, and give the Raptors one of the most fun, fascinating rosters in the NBA.

According to Shams Charania and Bobby Marks of ESPN, Ingram agreed to a three-year, $120 million contract with the Raptors, which includes a player option for the 2027-28 season.

Ingram's move to Toronto was one of the most fascinating of the trade deadline, and gives the Raptors a long-term core composed of some of the most unique offensive players in the NBA.

Ingram is a bit of an aberration in and of himself; in a league that has shifted more and more focus to outside shooting, he remains a staunch mid-range and in shooter. And he's good at what he does; only DeMar DeRozan has hit more mid-range jumpers than Ingram this season, and he ranks sixth in shooting percentage on jump shots off the dribble.

For a Raptors team that was one of the most extreme slashing teams in the NBA, who take most of their shots around the basket, his ability to create off the dribble and hit jumpers is much needed. Pairing him with the likes of Scottie Barnes, R.J. Barrett and Immanuel Quickley gives Toronto an incredibly fascinating roster of scorers and facilitators. And when you mix in Gradey Dick as well, this team is going to be entertaining as heck to watch operate in the half court, and downright devastating in transition with their athleticism and length.

But, it should be noted that "exciting" and "fun" don't necessarily mean "good," either. This is not a good outside shooting team by any metric, and while Ingram is shooting 37.4 percent on 6.4 threes per game, his game isn't really predicated on knocking down threes. It's a testament to how poorly the Raptors shoot that Ingram's three-point percentage is immediately fourth-best on the team. They're not going to turn into a sharpshooting juggernaut now that Ingram's in the fold, and their defense doesn't figure to improve by a substantial measure, either.

Does Ingram's presence here make them better over the long term? Absolutely it does; he gives them a consistent scoring touch in the half court that they've sorely lacked, and will free up space for Barrett, Quickley, and Barnes to generate even more offense.

But is it enough to get back into contention? Maybe not this season, but in the future, definitely. In the meantime, just sit back and enjoy what promises to be one of the the NBA's most fun teams.

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Brandon Ingram's contract extension cements Raptors' status as one of NBA's most fun teams

By Sam Westmoreland | 3:56 PM EST