Bruce Brown Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Lakers Exploring Trades For Murray, Numerous Other Players

January 23rd, 2024 at 5:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Lakers are exploring a number of avenues on the trade market with the Hawks’ Dejounte Murray arguably the biggest name on the wish list, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reports.

Murray would give the club some much-needed playmaking and speed out of the backcourt. The fact that Murray is making $18.2MM this season before his four-year, $114MM extension kicks in could provide an additional bonus. The Lakers could engineer a two-for-one swap and shave some money off their luxury tax bill in the process.

However, the Lakers continue to resist including Austin Reaves in a potential deal. The Hawks recently inquired about Reaves, according to McMenamin’s sources, who speculates that the Lakers would have to give up some combination of Rui Hachimura, a future first-round pick, Reaves or other young players to land Murray.

The Lakers don’t plan to pivot to the Bulls’ Zach LaVine, per McMenamin, due to his hefty contract, injury issues and declining production. They could aim lower and pick up some bench pieces instead.

They’d like to add a quality backup guard with Gabe Vincent sidelined by a knee injury. The Jazz’s Collin Sexton and Wizards’ Tyus Jones have been discussed internally as potential targets. They also have the Raptors’ Dennis Schröder and Bruce Brown on their radar.

Schröder, who started 50 games for the Lakers last season, has seen his role diminish with the acquisition of Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett. Brown, a defensive ace who was instrumental in Denver’s championship run, was acquired by Toronto in the Pascal Siakam deal.

Brown was the Lakers’ top target with their mid-level exception last summer, according to McMenamin, but Indiana blew them out of the water with a two-year, $45MM offer.

The Nets’ Dorian Finney-Smith and Bulls’ Andre Drummond are two other players the Lakers are considering to fill key postseason roles. Finney-Smith could guard elite wings, while Drummond would give them more size to combat an opponent such as Denver. They’re not particularly interested in the Hornets’ Miles Bridges, a potential alternative to Finney-Smith, because they wouldn’t hold his Bird Rights and Bridges would likely sign a more lucrative contract elsewhere in the summer.

If the Lakers choose not to make a trade or do only minor tinkering before the deadline, they could have more flexibility to acquire another star in the offseason such as the Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell or Hawks’ Trae Young, McMenamin writes.

On the day of the draft, the Lakers pool of available first-rounders would grow to their picks in 2029, 2031 and either this year or 2025, depending on whether New Orleans chooses to use the pick L.A. owes it this June or the following summer.

The Lakers have discussed internally the possibility of packaging those three picks, along with players they already have on their books, to pursue that type of blockbuster, says McMenamin.

Trade Rumors: R. Williams, Knicks, Lakers, Hawks, Wizards

January 23rd, 2024 at 8:00am CST by Luke Adams

Trail Blazers center Robert Williams won’t play again this season after undergoing knee surgery in November, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s off the table in trade talks. Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT suggested during the latest episode of the #thisleague UNCUT podcast that Williams is a trade candidate to watch.

“There are some teams that are pondering making a move for Robert Williams,” Haynes said (hat tip to Blazer’s Edge). “Now, I know Robert Williams is out for the season, had another surgery on his right knee. But teams feel like he would be somebody they could get on the cheap right now and allow him to continue recovering, continue rehabbing in hopes that next season he can blossom back into the Robert Williams that we’ve seen when he was playing at a high level with the Boston Celtics.”

Williams was one of the players acquired by Portland in October’s Jrue Holiday deal with the Celtics. While he has shown some promise in his first few years in the NBA, is still just 26 years old, and is on a multiyear contract, there was a sense that the Blazers could be willing to flip the big man to a new team, given that they already have their center of the future in Deandre Ayton. Haynes confirms that’s the case.

“The Blazers will be very open (to moving Williams),” Haynes said. “That’s not up for debate. They’ll be very open. If they feel like they can get the right deal in place, they’re open. The Blazers, they’re in a youth movement right now, so they have nothing but time on their side. Some players don’t fit the development arc of most of the youth they have on that team. Robert Williams is somebody who is definitely available, given the right price.”

While Haynes didn’t specify exactly which teams are potential suitors for Williams, he noted that Ime Udoka is “very fond” of the big man after coaching him in Boston and speculated that the Rockets could have interest.

Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:

Discussing the Knicks‘ approach to the trade deadline on the Katz and Shoot podcast, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports said Trail Blazers guard Malcolm Brogdon is the player he has heard most frequently linked to New York (Twitter video link). Fred Katz of The Athletic cited Pistons guard Alec Burks as another player the Knicks had their eye on and confirmed the team has looked into Dejounte Murray, but isn’t sure whether that interest in the Hawks guard is serious or just a matter of the Knicks doing their due diligence.
Murray, Bruce Brown, Terry Rozier, and Tyus Jones are potential Lakers trade targets to keep an eye on, Shams Charania of The Athletic said during FanDuel’s Run it Back show (Twitter video link). The team’s interest in all four guards has been previously reported.
Charania also confirms a previous report about the Lakers and Hawks discussing Murray, adding that a pick swap was part of those negotiations. The talks stalled due to Atlanta’s desire to reroute D’Angelo Russell to a third team, but Charania expects the two teams to resume those discussions before the trade deadline.
Only one Wizards player is truly off-limits in trade talks at this season’s deadline, according to Charania (Twitter video link): 2023 lottery pick Bilal Coulibaly. Washington would be open to inquiries on anyone else on the roster.

Raptors Notes: Brown, Rebuilding, Barrett, Quickley, Boucher

January 22nd, 2024 at 11:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Bruce Brown‘s life has been a whirlwind over the past week and it might not slow down for a while, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet. After picking up his championship ring January 14 in Denver, Brown arrived at Pacers’ practice on Wednesday and learned he had been traded to Toronto. He took his physical a day later and played that night. On Friday, he was on a plane with his new teammates for Saturday’s game in New York.

Brown may be on the move again, as he’s still a popular trade target ahead of the February 8 deadline. He told Grange that he expected to remain with Indiana all season, but he knew the contract he signed last summer, which includes a $23MM team option for 2024/25, made him a candidate to be dealt.

“Did I think I was gonna be [in Indiana] the whole year? Yes,” Brown said. “But obviously, the second year is a team option. But signing the deal I knew it was going to be maybe I stay, maybe they get off the deal. I knew at some point, something would happen. But when the season started I knew something would happen just because of how good [the Pacers] were doing and how they’re trying to maximize [Tyrese Haliburton’s] time there. I was told they weren’t trying to move me, but I was a big part of the deal [for Pascal Siakam], so …”

There’s more from Toronto:

The Raptors will need to be patient after trading Siakam for what amounts to future assets, observes Blake Murphy of Sportsnet. While Brown has immediate value, there’s no guarantee he’ll be with the organization past the deadline. Jordan Nwora and Kira Lewis provide bench depth, but they’re both young and will need consistent minutes to develop into reliable players. Murphy adds that while the organization isn’t embarking on a traditional rebuilding process, the 2025/26 season is probably the earliest that it will be playoff relevant again.
RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and OG Anunoby all seem to be in better spots in the wake of last month’s trade with the Knicks, observes Eric Koreen of The Athletic. After the teams met Saturday in New York, Koreen noted that Anunoby’s three-and-D skills fit best on a contender, while Barrett and Quickley can take on a larger role in the offense without having to accommodate Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle.
Toronto is exploring trades involving Chris Boucher, who is the last player remaining from the 2019 title team, Murphy said on “The Raptors Show” pocdast (Twitter link from Evan Sidery of Forbes Sports).

Trade Rumors: Brown, Grant, Brogdon, Jones, Gafford

January 21st, 2024 at 8:27pm CST by Rory Maher

The Raptors want a minimum of a first-round pick and a “quality player” in exchange for Bruce Brown, according to Marc Stein at Substack.

Toronto just acquired Brown from Indiana in the Pascal Siakam blockbuster, with the Knicks and Lakers among the teams said to be interested in the swingman’s services. Brown cashed in during free agency last summer, signing a two-year, $45MM deal with the Pacers after spending last season as the sixth man of the Nuggets, helping Denver win its first NBA Championship.

However, Brown’s contract could also expire in the offseason, as it features a $23MM team option. He cannot be aggregated with other salaries, but Toronto is free to flip him, and team president Masai Ujiri has said more deals could “definitely” occur before the February 8 deadline.

As Stein writes, due to Brown’s contract and two-way ability, a variety of teams will likely register interest in dealing for the 27-year-old. That has the Raptors optimistic about their chances of landing a valuable return.

For his part, Brown said he’s not requesting a trade and would be open to staying a Raptor.

Here are a few more trades rumors from around the NBA:

The Trail Blazers have been repeatedly described by rivals as “resistant” to the idea of moving Jerami Grant, according to Stein, who is at least the fourth different reporter to say something along those lines. Grant, who re-signed with Portland on a five-year, $160MM deal in the offseason, was viewed as a potential trade candidate after Damian Lillard requested a trade and was eventually moved, but the Blazers front office reportedly likes having a productive veteran such as Grant to help guide a young roster.
Veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon, on the other hand, is viewed as “very likely” to be traded by the Trail Blazers, Stein reports. Stein has heard the Knicks are interested in Brogdon, who was acquired from Boston in the Jrue Holiday deal, though Ian Begley of SNY.tv recently suggested that the Knicks and Blazers haven’t engaged in talks about the veteran guard. Brogdon, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, is in the first season of a two-year, $45MM extension that pays him $22.5MM annually.
Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times confirms recent reporting that the Lakers are interested in Wizards point guard Tyus Jones. Woike also adds Jones’ teammate, center Daniel Gafford, to the list of potential Lakers targets. The Wizards are reportedly looking for first-round picks for both players.

Trade Rumors: Murray, Sixers, Mavs, Brown, Pelicans

January 21st, 2024 at 10:06am CST by Luke Adams

Shams Charania of The Athletic said a few days ago during an appearance on FanDuel’s Run it Back show (Twitter video link) that he has “not gotten the sense” that the Sixers will aggressively pursue Dejounte Murray, despite being identified earlier this month as a potential suitor for the Hawks guard.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype also cast some doubt this week on the idea that Murray will be a top target for Philadelphia, suggesting that he’s a “questionable fit” next to rising 76ers star Tyrese Maxey.

However, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer isn’t ruling out the possibility, exploring the idea of the Sixers going after Murray and positing that he would be a better fit alongside Maxey than he has been with Trae Young in Atlanta, since Maxey wouldn’t be uncomfortable operating off the ball and focusing on scoring.

Still, Pompey acknowledges that the Hawks’ reported asking price for Murray – two first-round picks and a quality player – would be steep for a Philadelphia team that isn’t necessarily loaded with valuable assets. It’s also unclear whether the Sixers view Murray as the sort of player for whom they’d be willing to sacrifice future cap flexibility, including 2024 cap room.

Here are a few more trade-related notes and rumors from around the NBA:

Brad Townsend of The Dallas News previews the trade deadline from the Mavericks‘ perspective, noting that minority owner and head of basketball operations Mark Cuban confirmed during a recent radio appearance that the team would like to further fortify its frontcourt. “If we can get a big who can also create off the dribble, that’d be a plus,” Cuban said. “Six-eight or bigger.”
After being sent from Indiana to Toronto this week, veteran guard Bruce Brown knows that he’s considered a candidate to be moved again before the trade deadline, but he tells Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link) that he’d be fine staying with the Raptors and hasn’t asked them to seek a deal. “I don’t know anything. I’m not requesting anything,” Brown said “… That’s up to (team president) Masai (Ujiri), whatever he wants to do. If he moves me he moves me. If he doesn’t, I’ll stay. It is what it is.”
After ducking below the luxury tax line by sending Kira Lewis to Toronto (via Indiana), what’s next for the Pelicans on the trade market? Christian Clark of NOLA.com explores that topic, suggesting that the team will almost certainly continue to keep an eye out for a center. Cavaliers starter Jarrett Allen has long been a top target for New Orleans, but he’s unlikely to be available, so a player like Wendell Carter of the Magic or Onyeka Okongwu of the Hawks could be a more viable option, suggests Clark. The poison pill provision applies to Okongwu, which could complicate any deal that involves him.

Knicks Notes: Brunson, Achiuwa, Hartenstein, Trade Rumors

January 21st, 2024 at 8:35am CST by Luke Adams

There were good vibes in Madison Square Garden on Saturday, as Knicks fans gave Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett a warm welcome in their return to New York as Raptors, then watched stars Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle lead the home team to a dominant 126-100 victory. After the game, Brunson and Randle both spoke about how much they enjoyed playing with Quickley and Barrett, who said they appreciated the reception they received from Knicks fans.

“Love those two. Being teammates with them the past couple of years has been special,” Brunson said of Barrett and Quickley, per Peter Botte of The New York Post. “Great character dudes. They both work really hard. Everything you want in a franchise player. Toronto has a couple good dudes over there. I wish them nothing but the best.”

“Those guys are special talents,” Randle added, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “It’s a special relationship I’ve built with them. I know they talk about how much I meant to them, but they mean a lot to me, to be honest. Talking about leadership, how I carry myself, how to be open, how to be honest, how to be motivated — those are things I didn’t necessarily have coming in vocally. I always wanted to lead by example, just play hard every night. But those guys with me brought a different side out of me. … The relationship that I have with them is extremely special.”

While Quickley and Barrett are missed by their former teammates, Saturday’s game was a reminder of why trading them was the right move, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. As Bondy notes, OG Anunoby continues to show he’s a perfect fit alongside the Knicks’ ball-dominant players, who have been on a tear this month.

Following a 38-point showing on Saturday, Brunson has now averaged 28.9 points and 8.4 assists per game since the arrival of Anunoby, who in turn has been an NBA-best +190 during his time on the court as a Knick. Randle had a triple-double in Saturday’s victory and has put up 25.6 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 5.1 APG since Anunoby’s debut.

Here’s more out of New York:

While Anunoby continues to be lauded by his play for the Knicks – including by super-fan Spike Lee, as Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca details – another former Raptor had a big night vs. his former team on Saturday. Precious Achiuwa established new season highs of 18 points and 11 rebounds in 25 minutes of action, writes Jared Schwartz of The New York Post.
Achiuwa was playing an increased role due to the fact that starting center Isaiah Hartenstein left the game in the third quarter with an ankle issue. According to Bondy (Twitter link), head coach Tom Thibodeau called it as a sprain, though the team later referred to it as just “sore.” Whether or not Hartenstein has to miss time as a result of the injury, Bondy expects Jericho Sims to see more playing time. Sims logged three minutes on Saturday after sitting out the past five games.
Discussing some of the potential trade targets who have been linked to the Knicks, Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter video link) says the Jazz‘s asking price for Jordan Clarkson is very high and that he hasn’t heard anything to suggest that the Knicks and Trail Blazers have had serious talks about Malcolm Brogdon.
On the other hand, Begley keeps hearing “again and again” that New York has strong interest in Raptors guard Bruce Brown. Asked on Saturday about those rumors, as well as the belief that Thibodeau is a fan of his play, Brown said he has “nothing but respect” for the Knicks’ head coach and can do “just about whatever [Thibodeau] needs me to do,” per Schwartz. “I play extremely hard,” he said. “I would think [I’m] the type of player that he likes.”

Trade Rumors: Rockets, Lakers, Brown, LaVine, Finney-Smith

January 20th, 2024 at 1:19pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets know they’re not close enough to championship contention to aggressively push at this season’s trade deadline for marginal upgrades to their rotation, but they’re still unlikely to stand pat, says Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required).

Among the Rockets’ potential needs are a rim-protecting center who could be a lob threat on offense, another play-maker, and a wing shooter, Feigen writes. However, as he considers possible deals, general manager Rafael Stone will have to weigh whether a new addition might take away minutes from players whom Houston would like to see get regular playing time in the second half.

As one person with knowledge of the club’s thinking tells Feigen, the Rockets are still at a stage where they’re more likely to seek “good value” trades rather than targeting a specific position or need.

Here are a few more trade-related notes and rumors from around the NBA:

Bruce Brown has long been a player of interest for the Lakers, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who said on Friday’s episode of NBA Countdown that if Indiana hadn’t blown away the competition by offering a $22MM starting salary in free agency, there’s a “very good chance” the veteran guard would’ve signed with Los Angeles for their mid-level exception (YouTube link). Wojnarowski added that the Lakers continued to express interest in Brown while he was a Pacer and figure to be in contact with the Raptors, who will have no shortage of suitors for the 27-year-old.
Even before his latest injury, no trade market had materialized for Zach LaVine, says K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. While it’s possible that could change before the February 8 deadline, Johnson suggests that teams have yet to seriously engage with the Bulls on LaVine, who is expected to be out for at least a week or two.
Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith is the second-oldest player on Brooklyn’s roster and might be a better fit with a contender than with his current team, which holds a 17-24 record. That has made him a popular subject of trade rumors leading up to next month’s deadline, but he’s tuning out that speculation, as Brian Lewis of The New York Post writes. “It always gets weird around this time in the NBA,” Finney-Smith said prior to Friday’s win. “Just can’t focus on the outside noise. That’s part of it. There’s nothing you can do about it. We’ve all got social media, so you’re going to hear it. It ain’t real. It’s a whole bunch of chit-chatter until something officially happens. I’m a Brooklyn Net, and I want to win. That’s all that matters.”

Trade Rumors: Bucks, Murray, Nets, Sixers, Brown, Heat, More

January 19th, 2024 at 3:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks are among the teams registering interest in trading for Hawks guard Dejounte Murray, league sources tell Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT (Twitter link). Haynes’ report doesn’t include any details beyond that, so it’s unclear what sort of package a Bucks team short on trade assets might be willing to offer for Murray.

It’s safe to assume Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard aren’t going anywhere, which means a Milwaukee offer would need to be built around either Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, or, more likely, a Bobby Portis/Pat Connaughton combo. No other players on the roster earn enough to viably match Murray’s $18MM+ salary (a package that includes only one of Portis or Connaughton could technically work, but would need to be at least a four-for-one or five-for one deal).

Middleton, Lopez, Portis, and Connaughton have all played significant roles in Milwaukee for the last few seasons. Middleton and Lopez, in particular, have been mainstays in the Bucks’ starting lineup for many years, while Portis and Connaughton have been among the team’s first players off the bench. All four were major contributors to the championship team in 2021.

Still, as the Bucks showed when they included Jrue Holiday and Grayson Allen in their package for Lillard in September, they’re willing to send out key rotation players in a trade if they believe the deal raises their ceiling. And with no first-round picks and only two second-rounders left to deal, the Bucks would need to send out a quality player or two to be a contender in the Murray sweepstakes.

Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:

Responding to colleagues Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon, who argued on The Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link) that the Nets should be sellers at the trade deadline, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst suggested that’s not necessarily the way the team is leaning. “I can’t speak to what the Nets are thinking right this very second, but the word through the NBA is the Nets are attempting to be buyers,” Windhorst said. Brooklyn doesn’t control its own 2024 first-round pick, which will be sent to Houston.
Despite some speculation that he could be a trade deadline target, the Sixers are unlikely to pursue Raptors guard Bruce Brown, reports Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Appearing on the Locked on Heat podcast (Twitter video link), Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports suggested that the Heat aren’t explicitly shopping Kyle Lowry and Nikola Jovic, but they’re among the players on the roster who are considered by potential trade partners to be available.
Within his latest Insider-only story for ESPN.com, Zach Lowe shares a couple of notable trade-related tidbits. According to Lowe, before trading for Pascal Siakam, the Pacers were one of several teams to reach out to the Jazz about Lauri Markkanen, but Utah showed zero interest in moving him. Additionally, Lowe says that the Spurs reached out to the Hawks to explore the possibility of a reversal of sorts to their 2022 Dejounte Murray deal, but those talks don’t appear to have gotten far.

Lakers Rumors: Murray, D-Lo, Hood-Schifino, Reaves, More

January 19th, 2024 at 1:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The buzz connecting Hawks guard Dejounte Murray to the Lakers has increased to “noisy levels” as of late, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, who hears that the two teams have discussed possible frameworks for a trade.

One concept the Lakers and Hawks talked about late last week would’ve included guard D’Angelo Russell, rookie Jalen Hood-Schifino, the Lakers’ 2029 first-round pick, and additional draft compensation, multiple team and league sources tell Buha.

Los Angeles can only currently trade one future first-rounder (either the 2029 or 2030 pick), so any additional draft assets would’ve been second-rounders. Plus, as Michael Scotto reported on Thursday, Atlanta has little interest in Russell, so he may need to be rerouted to a third team.

Talks between Los Angeles and Atlanta have since stalled, but the two clubs are expected to revisit those negotiations prior to the February 8 trade deadline, says Buha.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

Unless an unexpected opportunity arises, the Lakers are expected to take at least a couple more weeks to evaluate their trade assets and options before pulling the trigger on any deal, according to Buha. As Buha explains, the team would like to address various needs – including three-point shooting, speed, and athleticism – but is still weighing whether it makes more sense to make a smaller move or to do something bigger that would more significantly reshape the rotation.
No Lakers players besides Anthony Davis and LeBron James are untouchable, but Jarred Vanderbilt is ineligible to be dealt this season and Austin Reaves is “close” to being off the table, says Buha. Team and league sources tell The Athletic that L.A. values Reaves highly and has no interest in moving him, even though almost every trade discussion starts with a prospective trade partner asking for Reaves and a first-round pick. If the Lakers were to part with Reaves, they’d want the deal to net them a clear All-Star (ie. someone a tier above Murray or Zach LaVine) or multiple rotation upgrades, Buha adds.
Russell, Rui Hachimura, and Gabe Vincent are generally considered to have neutral-to-negative trade value, per Buha. Second-year guard Max Christie is viewed by some teams as an underrated three-and-D prospect, but the Lakers would prefer to keep him, Buha notes.
The Lakers, who had interest in Bruce Brown during the offseason, would still be interested in Brown if the Raptors make him available, Buha reports. Other potential targets the Lakers have discussed in recent weeks include Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant, Hornets guard Terry Rozier, Raptors wing Gary Trent Jr., and Nets forwards Dorian Finney-Smith and Royce O’Neale, says Buha.

Raptors Notes: Brown, Trent, Schröder, Siakam, Barnes, Lewis

January 19th, 2024 at 10:42am CST by Luke Adams

After a hectic 30-plus hours that saw him fly from Sacramento to Indiana to Toronto, Bruce Brown was available to make his Raptors debut on Thursday night vs. Chicago, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter links).

While newcomers Jordan Nwora and Kira Lewis were also cleared to play, Brown was the only one of the three to see any action and he responded in impressive fashion, scoring 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting and grabbing seven rebounds off the bench. Toronto lost the game 116-110, but Brown was a +11 in his 25 minutes.

Thursday’s performance showed how Brown could fit on the Raptors’ new-look roster, but it remains to be seen whether or not he’ll finish the season with the club. Exploring that subject on the latest episode of FanDuel’s Run it Back show (YouTube link), Shams Charania of The Athletic suggested that Toronto could probably net a first-round pick or a “boatload” of second-rounders for Brown in a pre-deadline deal, adding that there will be “no shortage of suitors” for the 27-year-old guard/forward.

According to Charania, Brown, Gary Trent Jr., and Dennis Schröder are among the Raptors veterans worth keeping an eye on in the coming weeks, since they may not be part of the team’s plans beyond this season and they’d appeal to playoff teams on the trade market.

Here’s more on the Raptors:

Following his trade to Indiana, longtime Raptors forward Pascal Siakam, who spent the first seven-and-a-half years of his career with the franchise, wrote in The Players’ Tribune about how much his time in Toronto meant to him and why it’s hard to say goodbye.
As long as Siakam was on the roster, the Raptors were able to hedge their bet on Scottie Barnes‘ ascent to franchise cornerstone, letting Siakam take the reins while the former Rookie of the Year grew into that role, Lewenberg writes at TSN.ca. Now that Siakam is a Pacer, there will be increased pressure on Barnes to develop into the type of star Toronto envisions, Lewenberg notes. “The goal is to help Scottie improve and get better every single day, every single night as a leader, as a franchise player and to build a roster around him that’s going to help him to grow,” head coach Darko Rajakovic said.
Turning the Raptors’ roster from its current state into one capable of contending for a title may be Masai Ujiri‘s biggest challenge since he was hired by the organization, says Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. The Raptors president acknowledged that he won’t be able to skip steps during the process. “I don’t know if to call this a rebuild or a reset or however we want to put it,” Ujiri said. “But a normal rebuild with other teams takes five [or] six years. Do we have the patience for that? You know? Like do we have the patience for three-to-five years building of our team? Some way, somehow we are going to have to have patience.”
After he traded popular Raptor DeMar DeRozan and fired head coach Dwane Casey following a Coach of the Year season, Ujiri earned a reputation for being a cold and calculated decision-maker. However, he hasn’t necessarily operated that way in recent years, according to Eric Koreen of The Athletic, who considers whether the club would benefit from Ujiri being “a little colder” in his roster decisions.
The Raptors have assigned the newly acquired Lewis to the G League, tweets Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca. A player with at least three years of NBA service must give his consent to be assigned to the NBAGL, but Lewis approved multiple assignments to the Birmingham Squadron earlier this season in order to get more frequent playing time and it appears he’ll do the same with his new team.