The Toronto Raptors had plenty of incentive to be bad this season. If their first-round pick lands outside the top-six of the 2024 NBA Draft, it will convey to the San Antonio Spurs. That was the compensation Toronto spent to re-acquire Jakob Poeltl at the trade deadline last year. So far, the Raptors are on pace to keep that pick, currently owning the sixth-worst record in the NBA.
How Toronto got to this point was a bit circuitous, but likely for the best. The team gave the Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby trio one more run to make a playoff push, but the results still weren't coming through the way the Raptors hoped. As a result, they traded Siakam and Anunoby for a bounty of young players and picks leading up to the trade deadline. After those trades and injuries to Barnes and Immanuel Quickley hit their team, Toronto had no choice but to pull the plug on this season and look to maintain their pick.
The Raptors showed some promise with this new core of Barnes, Quickley and RJ Barrett. They have a +9.1 net rating this season with those three on the court without players who are now no longer on the roster, per Cleaning the Glass. Rookie lottery pick Gradey Dick is very much the shooter he was propped up to be before the 2023 draft. Toronto has something going with this young core and should continue adding to it in the offseason.
Of major potential consequence to the Raptors' rebuild? What they could nab in a trade for Bruce Brown.
1 player Raptors must trade this offseason: Bruce Brown
Bruce Brown was a postseason folk hero for the Denver Nuggets last season. His mixture of toughness, defense, shooting, cutting and perimeter shot creation was vital in helping Denver win the championship. He hasn't been able to capture that same magic in his next two stops, however. Brown's per-game numbers have been about the same, but his efficiency has dipped from last season compared to this year. His effective field goal percentage was at 54.5% with Denver, but has dropped to 51.5% this season.
Brown's defense hasn't been quite the same in his new digs, either. He was able to handle just about any matchup last year with the Nuggets, but has taken a bit of a step back this year. Big wings like Rui Hachimura have had a little more success against Brown on the block this season.
This used to be a midrange fade. The mentality shift into a physical bruiser from Rui has been one of my favorite parts of the season. It has seeped into other parts of his game like rebounding, help defense etc.
This is Bruce Brown who he just puts in the basket. pic.twitter.com/tOm6HHzGbM
— Raj C. (@RajChipalu) April 3, 2024
Brown might find himself on the outside looking in at a starting spot in Toronto. He's a better defender than Dick, but the rookie's shooting and ability to spread the floor makes him a much cleaner fit next to Barnes, Quickley, Barrett and Poeltl going forward. He thrived as a sixth man with Denver, but would Toronto really want to pay Brown $23 million to come off the bench?
This summer is when things can get interesting regarding Brown. He has one year left on the two-year, $45 million deal he signed with the Indiana Pacers last offseason. That $23 million he's owed next year is a team option. Toronto could simply decline that and make him a free agent in the summer if they were so inclined.
However, it would make sense for the Raptors to shop Brown first and see what they can get for him. Plenty of teams, like the Los Angeles Lakers, were interested in signing Brown with their midlevel exception last year. Denver is all-in on its title-winning core; perhaps they can find a way to bring Brown back.
The Raptors could probably get a late first or a couple of second-round picks in return for Brown. Their likelihood of bringing in a first rises if a team is looking to shed salary, which Toronto could absorb with the help of Brown's expiring contract.
The Raptors may be in a rebuild, but they have some very intriguing players going forward. Trading Brown could get them more pieces to add to their core, making his status something to monitor this offseason.
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