Bruce Brown Jr.’s time with the Toronto Raptors appears to be coming to an end.
The Raptors are likely to trade Brown at some point this offseason once Toronto picks up his $23 million team option for next season.
This is something that is expected to happen before the end of June. Doug Smith of the Toronto Star first reported that the Raptors plan to trade Brown around the 2024 NBA Draft.
The tricky part for the Raptors will be finding a suitor for Brown that is able to match his salary to get a deal done.
Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer looked at 10 players who could complete a contender and linked Brown to the Milwaukee Bucks.
O’Connor thinks there’s a deal to be made involving Brown and Brook Lopez:
“There are rumblings that the Bucks would like to play a more versatile style of defense next season, which raises the question of whether Brook Lopez has a future there. Trading Brook Lopez for Brown is a perfect match of salaries, and then the Raptors could flip Lopez elsewhere. The amount of screening and cutting Brown could do in support of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard would be glorious to watch.”
This deal works financially with Brown and Lopez both set to earn $23 million in the final year of their contracts next season.
However, this trade doesn’t make much sense for the Raptors. Toronto doesn’t need another veteran center when the team already has Jakob Poeltl and Kelly Olynyk. Lopez is a great defender and solid floor spacer but he doesn’t fit with Toronto’s young core moving forward.
The only way this makes sense is if the Raptors have plans to trade Lopez to a contender afterwards for another package.
The Raptors were reportedly seeking a first-round pick for Brown around the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline. It’ll be interesting to see how this Brown situation plays out.
Canada Basketball announces men’s Olympic training camp roster
Canada Basketball has officially announced its men’s Olympic training camp roster.
NBA stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murray and Andrew Wiggins will lead the Canadian men’s basketball team at the Paris Olympics in July.
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