Insider Reveals Sticking Point in Knicks-Raptors Bruce Brown Trade Talks

Getty Bruce Brown #11 of the Toronto Raptors looks on against the Chicago Bulls.

The New York Knicks have already offered the first-round pick the Toronto Raptors are seeking in a return package for Bruce Brown.

However, they are still haggling about which among the Knicks’ collection of first-round picks, according to Sportsnet Canada’s Michael Grange.

“According to a league source, the Raptors are asking for and have been offered a first-round pick for Brown, who is earning $22.5 million this season and has a team option on his deal for next season worth $23 million.

The sticking point is that the Knicks are trying to get the deal done by using one of the two first-round picks they have for the upcoming draft — either their own pick, projected to be 23rd, or the Dallas Mavericks’ pick, which would be 17th if the draft was tomorrow, and is top-12 protected,” Grange reported on February 6.

The Raptors already got two 2024 first-round picks from the Pascal Siakam trade on top of their own selection. So they are asking for a first-round pick beyond this June’s NBA Draft, which scouts and analysts project to be underwhelming compared to recent years.

But the Knicks are not keen on giving up a distant first-round pick since that holds more value in a potential star trade down the road.

Swapping Brown for Evan Fournier‘s matching $18.9 million salary will help the Knicks in the interim and immediate future.

Like Fournier, Brown has a team option for next season ($23 million) which the Knicks will likely pick up to use as a salary ballast in a star trade. But unlike Fournier, Brown is a serviceable two-way, championship-caliber player who can help the Knicks for their playoff run this season and beyond if they opt to keep him.

Raptors Offered Adding Chris Boucher

Meanwhile, according to SNY’s Knicks insider Ian Begley, the Raptors also tried to expand the Brown trade framework.

“I was told that one iteration and talks had Toronto adding Chris Boucher to a Bruce Brown package. I don’t know [what] the Knicks thought about that,” Begley said on the “The Putback” on February 7.

The 31-year-old Boucher is the last remnant of the Raptors championship team in 2019. He is due for $11.75 million this season and $10.8 million next season.

However, the issue is Brown cannot be aggregated because 2 months have not passed since Indiana traded him to Toronto. So the only way for it to happen is to execute a separate deal involving Boucher, which presumably would be a condition for the Knicks to acquire Brown. The problem is it would take the combined salaries of Jericho Sims, Ryan Arcidiacono and Quentin Grimes to match Boucher’s salary.

This could be a deal-breaker.

Knicks’ Other Trade Option

If the Brown talks break down, the Knicks have other options such as Detroit Pistons veteran guard Alec Burks.

The Knicks have discussed bringing back Alec Burks, a Tom Thibodeau favorite, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski,

“The Knicks have been an active team,” Wojnarowski said on “NBA Today” on February 7. “They wanted to improve, especially their bench scoring at the deadline. I don’t think that’s changed with the group of injuries they have right now. I think there’s an expectation that these all players are going to get back in relatively short order.

But they’ve certainly built a big cushion in the standings with how well they played. But certainly players like Alec Burks in Detroit — that’s been a conversation for the Knicks [and] for some other contenders who can get him with some draft assets.”