Raptors expected to flip former NBA champion during the offseason

This time last year, Bruce Brown Jr. was helping the Denver Nuggets on their path to the first championship in franchise history. Brown later hit unrestricted free agency before joining the Indiana Pacers. He was traded to the Toronto Raptors as part of the Pascal Siakam deal in January. 

According to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star, the Raptors always intended to flip Brown in a separate deal. However, that deal failed to materialize before the Feb. 8 trade deadline. As such, Toronto is now expected to gauge interest in the three-and-D wing during the summer. 

"When the Raptors got Brown in the January trade with Indiana, it was with an eye to flipping him for a more lucrative package," Smith reported. "It didn’t happen at the February trade deadline, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t on their minds. It was, and still is. The thinking now is that it’ll happen in late June or early July. And only then can the true value of the package for Siakam be known."

Brown played in 34 games for the Raptors. He averaged 9.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists while shooting 53.2% from two-point range and 31.7% from deep. With his recent championship experience and his reputation for professionally approaching games, there will undoubtedly be interested teams around the NBA. 

Toronto is still rebuilding its roster. The aim is clearly to build around the young trio of Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes. If Brown can land the Raptors another young player or some draft asserts, that will help the franchise progress toward its end goal. It will also allow Brown to land in a situation where he can carve out a legitimate role in the rotation and thrive as a trusted member of a team's core. 

Brown won a championship in 2023. Now, he's unsure where he will be playing basketball next year. That's how quickly things in the NBA can change.