Toronto had been rumored to be shopping Pascal Siakam for a while now. And after it was reported Tuesday that the Raps and Indiana Pacers were in advanced talks for a deal that would send the veteran forward to Hoosier State, the deal was finalized on Wednesday. Siakam has been traded to the Pacers for a package that is headlined by Bruce Brown and three future first-round picks.
It's a great trade for the Pacers, but it is also a fantastic haul for the Raptors. Siakam was heading towards free agency in the summer and could've left the team for nothing. Instead, they gained three future first-round picks and a quality player in Brown, who the team can flip again if they so choose.
The Raptors probably should. Like Siakam, Brown is effectively on the last season of his contract. Though there is another year on his deal, it is a team option for $23 million. It would seem more likely than not that the Raptors, or whatever team Brown is on, would decline that team option and use that cap space elsewhere and/or re-sign Brown to a longer-term deal with less money owed to him next season. But if the Raps are rebuilding, which all signals point to that being the case, then getting more draft picks for Brown would make a lot of sense.
If the Raptors put him on the market, a few teams stand out as options to acquire Brown.
Denver Nuggets
If it ain't broke, why fix it? We all know how well Brown would fit with the Nuggets after he thrived in a big role with the team and helped them win a championship last season. The Nuggets would've loved to bring him back, but the most they could offer Brown in free agency was about $7.8 million. Brown had offers for the mid-level exception from other teams, which was about $12.5 million. But the Pacers blew those offers out of the water when they signed him to a two-year, $45 million deal.
Brown took the money, and why wouldn't he? In doing so, he basically wiped away any chance of returning to the Nuggets. But now that he isn't on the team that signed him to the big free-agent deal, perhaps the Raptors would be more than willing to trade him back to Denver.
The Nuggets would have to get creative financially to match the $22 million that Brown makes, but there are paths for them to do so with a third team involved. If there's a way for the Nuggets to get Brown back, why wouldn't they pursue him?
Los Angeles Lakers
If the Pacers didn't throw a bag at Bruce Brown in the offseason, it seemed more than likely that Brown would've ended up with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Brown offers just about everything the Lakers need: defensive versatility, shooting, and secondary playmaking. LA could get close to matching Brown's salary pretty easily by putting D'Angelo Russell and/or Gabe Vincent in the deal, as well as Taurean Prince.
The Lakers only have one first-round pick they can trade, but they do have multiple second-round picks in their arsenal to play with. Perhaps one of those veteran guards, rookie Jalen Hood-Schifino, salary filler (Jaxson Hayes?), and a second-round pick or two would satisfy the Raptors' end of a potential deal? If that's the case, the Lakers should absolutely throw their hat in the ring and hope Brown can help turn their season around.
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