One of the Toronto Raptors’ top potential trade assets this season is hurt at an inopportune time.
Versatile veteran shooting guard Bruce Brown, 28, is slated to be on the shelf for at least three weeks, after going under the knife Thursday for an arthroscopic right knee surgery, according to a Raptors press release (Tim Bontemps of ESPN also relayed the news). The 6-foot-4 swingman is set to be reassessed at that three-week point.
After winning his first championship as an essential sixth man for the Denver Nuggets in 2023, the University of Miami product struck out to make his fortune in free agency — a move that would necessitate his departure from a capped-out Denver club. Brown inked a two-year, $45 million deal with the Indiana Pacers that summer.
But his tenure in Indiana was short-lived.
At the 2023-24 Feb. trade deadline, Brown was included as a key part of the Pacers’ trade package to acquire former two-time All-NBA power forward Pascal Siakam. Indiana also shipped out small forward Jordan Nwora, point guard Kira Lewis Jr., a pair of 2024 first-round draft picks, plus a 2026 first-round selection with top-four protections. Toronto also waived deep-bench center Christian Koloko to make the deal work.
Jared Butler #4 of the Washington Wizards shoots against Bruce Brown #11 of the Toronto Raptors during the first half of their basketball game at the Scotiabank Arena on April 7, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Brown just underwent a knee surgery ahead of Toronto’s training camp.
Mark Blinch/Getty Images
The Siakam trade helped strengthen Indiana’s frontcourt and allowed the club to finish with a 47-35 record and the Eastern Conference’s No. 6 seed.
Flipping Siakam was the second major rebuilding move Toronto had made last year. The Raptors also traded small forward OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks in Dec.
Anunoby and Siakam, who had won a title in Toronto together during the Raptors’ charmed 2018-19 season, would go on to face each other in the second round of the East playoffs. Siakam’s Pacers prevailed, outlasting the ailing Knicks in a seven-game slugfest. They were swept out of the Eastern Conference Finals by the eventual title-winning Boston Celtics.
Toronto, meanwhile, went all-in on tanking to close out the season. The Raptors finished with a paltry 25-57 record, good for 12th in the East. Across his 34 contests with Toronto last season, Brown averaged 9.6 points on .481/.317/.833 shooting splits, 3.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 0.7 blocks.
This year’s Raptors model, most likely doomed for the NBA‘s draft lottery yet again, boasts a few veterans on movable deals, highlighted by Brown and center Kelly Olynyk.
Brown’s no good to Toronto — or to any other team that would want to acquire his expiring salary — if he’s hurt. Based on the press statement’s timeline for a reevaluation, it seems Toronto is optimistic he won’t miss much of the 2024-25 regular season. He will, most likely, miss most or all of the preseason.
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