Getty DeAndre Jordan #6 and Bruce Brown #11 of the Denver Nuggets defend LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers.
It will take a significant cost for the Los Angeles Lakers to acquire Bruce Brown, their coveted target since last June’s free agency.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Raptors have set a high price for the 6-foot-4 Brown in their bid to add more draft capital to the original Pascal Siakam trade.
“The Raptors’ asking price for teams interested in acquiring Bruce Brown has been described as a future first-round pick and a quality player … at a minimum.
Toronto knows that a variety of contending teams are interested in Brown, noting his contributions to Denver’s title run last season, making the Raptors hopeful they can spark some robust bidding for a player with both championship pedigree and a team-friendly contract,” Stein wrote in his January 21 substack newsletter.
Brown will earn $22 million this year and has a $23 million team option next season, which will become a valuable trade chip.
The Lakers have only one first-round pick (2029 or 2030) to use in any in-season trade. But they can have as many as 3 first-round picks after the NBA Draft in June if the pick they owe to the New Orleans Pelicans in the Anthony Davis trade conveys.
The Lakers will have strong competition in a bidding war for Brown with the draft asset-rich New York Knicks. On top of their 8 tradable first-round picks, the Knicks also is drawing strong interest from Brown, who openly suggested he’s a perfect Tom Thibodeau player.
Will the Lakers use their lone draft capital on Brown or try to haggle with the Atlanta Hawks to get Dejounte Murray?
Royce O’Neal Is a Cheaper Trade Option
If Brown and Murray would cost the Lakers a first-round pick, another option is the 30-year-old veteran Royce O’Neale of the Brooklyn Nets, per Los Angeles Times’ Dan Woike.
The Lakers previously discussed O’Neale leading to last June’s NBA Draft but nothing materialized. The Nets were seeking a first-round pick for O’Neale at that time. However, with O’Neale just half-season away from unrestricted free agency, his cost should be lower by now.
O’Neale was scoreless in 18 minutes off the bench during the Brooklyn Nets’ stunning 130-112 rout of the Lakers on January 19. He missed his five attempts from the field — all from the 3-point area. But on the season, he’s shooting 36% from deep.
O’Neale is averaging 7.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 25 minutes for the Nets this season despite their glut of wings.
Lakers’ ‘2 Attractive Assets’
If the Lakers are to acquire a significant roster upgrade, it will cost them their top 2 assets.
“The Lakers have two attractive assets to other teams: [Austin] Reaves and one of their movable first-round picks,” The Athletic’s Jovan Buha wrote on January 19. “[Max] Christie is another popular request, but his impending restricted free-agency status makes him a trickier acquisition for some teams.
“D’Angelo Russell, [Rui] Hachimura and Vincent are generally viewed as neutral-to-negative assets, depending on the team.”
The Lakers, however, have been keeping Reaves off limits in any potential trade.
“I can’t imagine a better role player because [Reaves] has the trust of those two guys [James and Davis],” ESPN’s Dave McMenamin said on the January 8 episode “The Lowe Post” podcast. “He has the confidence of those two guys. He’s been a proven playoff performer. He has the trust and the kind support of the Buss family — the brothers who identified him in the draft process and Governor Jeanie. That’s a point of pride for her to have someone like Austin Reeves who was a homegrown Laker organization product [and] become a star.”