Most of the focus on Wednesday's trade to bring Pascal Siakam to the Pacers has been on his fit in Indiana, but the Raptors received an interesting piece back, too.
Bruce Brown Jr. was included mostly as a prerequisite to match Siakam's $37.9 million salary. What happens to him next is up in the air for a Toronto team that is clearly not competing for a championship this season.
If the Raptors decide to move Brown, he will draw interest throughout the league. He's a jack-of-all-trades type of player who can fill multiple roles. He's also a proven playoff warrior. He was instrumental off the bench in helping the Nuggets to the championship last season, providing gritty defense, 3-point shooting and some playmaking chops.
And let's get this out the way — while I'm sure the Nuggets would love him back, they don't have the pieces to make that realistic.
Here is the decision that the Raptors are faced with, and the choices that may be open to them.
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Bruce Brown Jr. contract details and trade rules
Brown is making $22.0 million this season. He has a $23.0 million team option for next season, which, if declined, would make him an unrestricted free agent.
| Season | Salary |
| 2023-24 | $22,000,000 |
| 2024-25 | $23,000,000 (TO) |
Brown is allowed to be traded to a new team, but he can't be combined (aggregated) with any other players on the Raptors in a trade for the rest of the year.
The case for the Raptors keeping Bruce Brown Jr.
Brown is a really good role player who could help make Scottie Barnes better, as he did last year in Denver with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
Brown doesn't need the ball in his hands to be effective, although he can run some pick-and-rolls in a pinch. He's a smart cutter and while he's only at 32.7 percent from 3 this year, he hit 37.1 percent of his 3s over the previous two seasons.
His value really comes from his versatility. He has played every position from a lead guard to a small-ball center back in his Nets days. At 6-4, he can guard up in positions because of his strength and toughness.
Brown would be a smooth fit on this current Raptors team and could perhaps help them make some noise in the Play-In tournament. But he's 27 years old and could hit free agency as soon as this summer. It might make more sense for Toronto to continue building up its asset base instead.
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Ranking Bruce Brown Jr. trade destinations
4. Dallas Mavericks
The Mavs still haven't cleaned up their defensive issues from last year enough to jump into the true contender status. They rank 20th on that end of the floor, per NBA Stats. Brown is the type of two-way defender they have sorely missed since moving on from Dorian Finney-Smith via trade last season.
The Mavs have their 2027 first-round pick, along with multiple seconds available in a trade. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Markieff Morris could be used as matching salary. Two second-round picks might be enough to get a deal done.
3. Philadelphia 76ers
Daryl Morey has been the most aggressive general manager in the league when it comes to adding talent at the trade deadline. The Sixers aren't quite at the level of the Celtics or Bucks, and Brown could be another solid rotation player to close that gap.
The Sixers have the assets to go out and get a bigger name, but perhaps they settle for a smaller move to keep their options open. They have wanted to retain enough cap space to acquire a max player this summer, and Brown makes them better while keeping that goal intact.
A likely deal would only cost the Sixers some small draft equity and expiring contracts — Marcus Morris and Furkan Korkmaz fit the bill, along with some second-rounders. Philadelphia also has some intriguing young prospects in KJ Martin and Jaden Springer who aren't part of the rotation and could be included.
2. Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City has up to 37 future draft picks, including a projected three first-rounders and a second-rounder in the 2024 draft. The team can't even roster that many players.
Given that they are way ahead of schedule and have a real shot at a deep playoff run, it might make sense for the Thunder to add another rotation piece to their roster. Brown is a good screener who could fit the offensive and defensive philosophies of their guards as rollers in pick-and-rolls and switching on defense.
Sharpshooter Davis Bertans isn't a part of the Thunder's rotation. He could be included as salary matching, along with a young prospect like athletic forward Ousmane Dieng or point guard Tre Mann. The Thunder have a ton of options as far as picks go to balance out a deal as well.
1. New York Knicks
There are people within the Knicks organization who would love to bring Brown to the team, according to SNY's Ian Begley. They met with him when he was a free agent this summer, but the Pacers ultimately swooped in with their huge offer to take him off the table.
Brown is a Tom Thibodeau type of player — a gritty defender who can fill any type of role that a coach asks. He could help take the pressure off Jalen Brunson as a secondary ball handler and handle the tougher defensive matchups.
The Knicks are trying to move Quentin Grimes, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. Thibodeau has soured on the 3-and-D wing because of his reluctance to play through a shoulder injury during last season's playoffs, according to Bondy. He's a good young prospect who would give the Raptors some much-needed shooting.
The Knicks have also been trying to move off Evan Fournier, who has been out of the rotation for the past two years. He has a $18.9 million team option for next year, which will likely be declined. Fournier and Grimes for Brown works salary-wise.
Both teams have a ton of picks available, including the likely No. 31 pick that the Knicks just received as part of the O.G. Anunoby trade, to balance out the rest of the trade. This is the deal that makes the most sense of all the options out there.
