It is trade deadline week and the anticipation for trades is growing.
One of those teams who are expected to make some moves is the Toronto Raptors. At the forefront of those talks is Bruce Brown, who could be of use to playoff teams.
As Toronto begins its rebuilding process, accumulating as many draft assets as possible is important. The hope for Masai Ujiri is to cash in on another first-round pick for Brown ahead of Thursday’s deadline.
According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell has been mentioned in trade talks with the Raptors:
“Russell’s name has been mentioned in trade talks with the Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks in recent weeks, sources told ESPN, while the point guard managed to play some of the best basketball of his career.”
The Lakers have been actively searching to improve their roster. Russell is deemed the main trade chip in any package along with draft capital, garnering mixed opinions from teams.
Russell being linked to the Raptors is assumingly for a Brown trade, who L.A. has been chasing for a while now. While the Lakers guard is playing strong basketball as of late, it is uncertain if Toronto truly wants him as the team rebuilds.
However, Russell possesses a $18.6 million player option for the 2024-25 season. This could be viewed as an expiring deal for the Raptors as he would not be a part of the future.
L.A. can trade their 2029 first-round draft pick, which remains unknown if they’ll include it in a potential Brown deal. The Lakers will assumingly try to trade for Brown without a first-round pick, but Toronto seems adamant about getting one.
Brown would be a much-needed high energy guy for the Lakers as they are now without Jarred Vanderbilt. However, L.A. may try to keep their first-round pick out of discussion.
Bruce Brown ‘very likely’ to be traded prior to trade deadline
Whether it be the Lakers or another team, it seems that Brown may be on his way out of Toronto.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Brown is ‘very likely’ to be moved ahead of Thursday.
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