The Toronto Raptors acquired Bruce Brown as a part of a package that sent Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers in a three-team trade back in January, and now, the Raptors may be preparing to trade Brown.
Brown has a $23 million team option that Toronto will have to exercise by June 29, which is two days after the NBA Draft. Sources say that the Raptors are expected to pick up the option and then immediately try to trade Brown during the offseason, via Doug Smith of The Toronto Star.
While $23 million may sound like a lot of money for Brown, it will actually represent a valuable expiring deal in potential trades. Toronto can always wait until next year's trade deadline to move the guard, but the club would prefer to do it as soon as possible, Smith notes.
This signifies that the Raptors are looking for a quick fix in return for Brown and seem inclined to starting next season with a new piece rather than waiting until next winter. The word around the league during the draft combine is that Brown still has value and could fetch a “useful piece” back in a trade, per Smith.
In 34 games with Toronto since coming over from Indiana, Brown averaged 9.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists over 26 minutes per game on 48.1/31.7/83.3 shooting splits. He logged just .040 win shares per 48 minutes in what was a rather disappointing stint with the Raptors, although he said he was playing through an injury.
Bruce Brown was very productive before his Raptors stint
Brown began his NBA career with the Detroit Pistons in 2018 and spent a couple of seasons with the club. He showed some promise during his sophomore campaign in particular, registering 8.9 points, 4.7 boards, four assists and 1.1 steals per game.
That ensuing offseason, the Pistons dealt Brown to the Brooklyn Nets, where he went on to enjoy kind of a breakout season the following year.
In his debut campaign with the Nets, Brown recorded 8.8 points and 5.4 rebounds across 22.3 minutes a night, but what was most impressive was his efficiency. Brown shot an incredible 55.6 percent from the floor in 2020-21, posting a true-shooting percentage of 60.4 percent.
He went on to record similar numbers the following season, tallying nine points, 4.8 boards and 2.1 dimes through 24.6 minutes a contest while boasting 50.6/40.4/75.8 shooting splits.
The 27-year-old proceeded to sign with the Denver Nuggets during the summer of 2022 and then enjoyed the best statistical season of his career. At least from a counting numbers perspective. In his lone season in Denver, Brown averaged 11.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.1 steals over 28.5 minutes per game. He shot 48.3 percent from the floor, 35.8 percent from three-point range and 75.8 percent from the free-throw line. Most importantly, he helped lead the Nuggets to a championship.
Sticking with the theme of being on the move, Brown then signed with the Pacers last offseason. He was posting 12.1 points, 4.7 boards and three assists per game before being traded to the Raptors.
Brown has started 256 of his 416 career games, so he definitely a very serviceable role player. He has earned a reputation as a hard-nosed, versatile defender, and while his perimeter shot could stand to improve, his shot selection is typically pretty good.
If Toronto does try to move Brown this summer, he should unquestionably garner significant interest.
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