While the Raptors didn’t trade Bruce Brown Jr. again after they acquired him from the Pacers this season, that might change this offseason. The Raptors have until June 29 to exercise Brown’s $23MM team option for next season and, according to Doug Smith of The Toronto Star, a handful of sources think that Toronto will pick up that option and trade Brown quickly, rather than waiting until the 2025 deadline.
Trading Brown would give the Raptors some leeway when it comes to talks with free agent wing Gary Trent Jr. According to Smith, the sentiment is that Toronto won’t start the season with both Brown and Trent on the roster. Trent is still just 25 and his outside shooting ability might make him more appealing in the long run.
The Raptors acquired Brown as part of the trade that sent Pascal Siakam to Indiana. He averaged 9.6 points in 34 games with Toronto after registering 12.1 PPG in 33 games in Indiana. Despite the slight dip in production, Brown is still viewed as a valuable rotation player with defensive prowess and positional versatility.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Nets hired Justin Bokmeyer to their front office as their new director of basketball operations, Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic reports. This move is likely related to the Hornets hiring away Ryan Gisriel, Brooklyn’s former executive director of basketball and business operations. Bokmeyer worked in international basketball operations before going to the NBA. He also helped guide the NBA Academy program and assisted in launching the Basketball Africa League.
- OG Anunoby, who is dealing with a hamstring injury, has missed the past four games for the Knicks. According to The Athletic’s Fred Katz (Twitter link), head coach Tom Thibodeau said Anunoby’s health is “basically the same.” The forward is doing some light on-court work, but it remains unclear when exactly he will return.
- Miles McBride began the season on the bench, but the Knicks are now calling on him to handle the most important defensive assignments, Newsday’s Steve Popper observes. He was inserted into the starting lineup in Game 5 and was the primary defender against the engine of the Pacers’ offense in Tyrese Haliburton, who scored just 13 points on the night. McBride still thinks he has room for improvement. “I think I’ve got to go up a level,” McBride said. “… Obviously he didn’t go scoreless, and he was still impactful in a way, so my goal is for guys to go scoreless and to make as minimum of an impact on the game.” McBride finished Game 6 as the team’s second-highest scorer, with only Jalen Brunson (31 points) exceeding McBride’s 20 points.
- Josh Hart exited Game 6 in the fourth quarter with what the team called abdominal soreness and didn’t return, according to the team (Twitter link). Hart left the game a couple times due to injury, going to the locker room after the first quarter and again later in the game. The severity is unclear — considering the Knicks were trailing significantly at the time, it’s possible this was more of a precautionary move in order to preserve an important role player for Game 7 on Sunday.
The Hart injury is concerning. He doesn’t come out of games, and especially concerning when he asks to come out.
Yeah, if Hart doesn’t play Sunday, this is a game the Pacers could easily steal. He’d never get MVP votes but Hart is so valuable to the Knicks right now.
Why would Hart get mvp votes? He isnt even the 2nd most valuable player on the team. He gets paid plenty to play basketball. Congrats for doing your job.
Yes. We know.
Well that sucks….. gm7 in MSG.
Let’s do this.
TOR didn’t trade Brown because they put out an asking price that was too high. I warned them at the time. LOL. I suspect his salary (under the team option) is too high to garner real trade interest, but, then again it is only for a single year.
Hart is a concern, but, unless it’s more than soreness, I think he’ll play. He did ask out, but, despite how ESPN hyped it, he did play after that in the second half. Anunoby, I’d be shocked if he plays. Bigger concerns to me (in ascending order of concern):
1) Brunson’s shooting %’s (anyone can a few bad shooting games, but as the only go to guy, when it’s him, we lose, and he’s been off for games 2 and 5), hopefully, it’s a road and home thing.
2) IND finally figuring out that they’re allowed to post up Siakam against our smaller defenders (this was the first game of the series where I thought they methodically exploited that).
3) SAS claiming he’s going to talk to the team before Sunday’s game.
Regarding 1), I think Brunson figured it out in the second half. 2-13 in the first half and 9-13 in the second half. I’d bet a lot of money that he will score 35+ on Sunday.
Hope your right, with some better shooting percentages too.
They didn’t want another late 1st in this awful draft class. It’s a dart throw draft but they still get 1st round rookie scale dollars and term.
Understood. But any asking price can be tailored around what the seller doesn’t want back. Their ask was simply too high to warrant bids.
You warned them, did you? Shocking that the Raptors front office didn’t read the comments section of a blog post to get tips on players value.
No sense in keeping Trent on a rebuilding team. He can shoot and create a bit, but he’s such a negative most everywhere else that it cancels out the benefits. Let him walk.
Brown for Wiggins makes a lot of sense for both teams.
GSW get to save some money, Kuminga starts at SF and Brown is that perfect plug and play guy off the bench who knows how to win games and make good plays. Toronto don’t really need Wiggins but it would be good him returning back to Canada and a line up of IQ Barrett Wiggins and Barnes with a big man like Poelt would be cool. Strong defensively and versatile offensively.
If the raptors needed convincing GSW could throw them a second rounder or end of the bench youngster
GS would have to send more than that, the Wiggins contract is seen by many as an albatross. But I do think they could work out something amenable to both sides. Of course, the Dubs are cooked no matter what
Why does Wiggins going to Canada mean anything? Players can only win in their home town? Such a superficial narrative.
Wiggins is a terrible fit with rhe Raptors – they need spacing and shooting.
I like Simmons Trade idea. Wiggins for Brown would be good for both. Toronto having Many Canadians is good for them.
If not for the insane foul call on turner end of gm 1
indy would have finished this series off last nite