Raptors President Masai Ujiri has been one of the busiest NBA executives over the last few weeks, completing a pair of blockbuster trades, and drastically reshaping his team’s roster in the process.
However, it doesn’t appear as though the 53 year old is content to let the Feb 8th NBA trade deadline slip by without exploring several other trade possibilities.
“It’s a tough couple weeks for us here with the trades that we’ve made… We know what these players meant to our program. Incredible, incredible human beings, incredible character, incredible players. You know my relationship with these guys and how hard it was,” said Ujiri at his most recent press conference.
“This is what was there for us. We measured it with what was there for us in the past and it was consistent and so we decided to move on it,” Ujiri said of the return.
Toronto has been burned in the past by allowing homegrown talent to hit free agency, ultimately losing them for nothing in return. Fan favourite Fred VanVleet departed the club this past offseason, opting to sign a massive 3 year, $128.5M contract with the Houston Rockets.
With the club currently sitting outside the play-in tournament picture with a 16-25 record, Ujiri & Co. opted to pull the trigger on a pair of franchise altering deals in relatively short order.
First, it was OG Anunoby, Malachi Flynn, and Precious Achiuwa who were sent to New York for RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickly and a 2024 2nd round pick. Next, it was Pascal Siakam who was sent to Indiana in exchange for Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora, Kira Lewis and 3 first round picks.
With the abrupt tear down now complete, that leaves only forward Chris Boucher as the lone remnant of the team’s 2019 NBA championship.
However, just because Toronto’s two biggest trade assets may have been moved, doesn’t mean that Ujiri is done working the phones. Bruce Brown, who parlayed a strong postseason performance with Denver last year into a 2 year, $45M contract with the Pacers, is now reportedly being shopped behind the scenes as well.
The 27 year old is currently averaging 12.1pts/4.7reb/3.ast/1.1stl per contest, while shooting .475 from the field. That, coupled with his championship experience with the Nuggets, makes him an attractive trade target for a veteran team looking to add some depth ahead of the playoffs.
According to reports, New York has already inquired about Brown’s availability should the Raptors opt to flip their newest asset over the next few weeks. That being said, because Brown has already been dealt once, according to the latest CBA, he couldn’t be packaged with any other assets if he is indeed moved again this season. That means whomever has a interest in him, would have to pay face value, and make the salaries work for Brown, and Brown alone.
The Knicks were highly motivated to get a deal down with the Boston native this past offseason, however they were unable to match the Pacers financial package. Sitting at 24-17, and winning 7 of their last 10 contests, New York has risen to 5th in the Eastern Conference, and will be looking at improving their roster to capitalize on their strong first half.
Other clubs who could be interested in Brown’s services include the Golden State Warriors, and Oklahoma City Thunder. Denver obviously has strong ties to the player, and while reports suggest they’d be interested in a reunion, they currently lack the financial resources and assets required to pull off such a deal.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Shaheen Karolia. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.