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The New York Knicks have made their moves to potentially acquire a championship-caliber depth piece.
According to The Athletic’s Fred Katz, the Knicks and the Toronto Raptors have discussed a potential trade involving Bruce Brown, who won a championship with the Denver Nuggets last season as 6th Man.
“The Knicks have spoken with the Toronto Raptors about Bruce Brown, league sources have said, but [Quentin] Grimes hasn’t been part of those conversations. Instead, discussions have centered around Evan Fournier and draft compensation for Brown,” Katz reported on February 6.
The Raptors’ asking price for Brown remains high.
On January 21, Marc Stein reported that the Raptors are seeking 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.
A potential sticking point in the negotiation is the draft compensation.
Katz added context to his report on X, formerly Twitter, as he pointed out that the Raptors could have up to 3 first-round picks in June’s NBA Draft — their own plus two from Indiana Pacers (Indiana’s own selection and the lesser of a Utah/Houston/LA Clippers/Oklahoma City pick) via the Pascal Siakam trade.
“Toronto … would probably want a first from 2025 or beyond for Brown. The Knicks, meanwhile, are trying to keep as many future picks as they can for “the star trade,” Katz posted on X.
Bruce Brown Would Welcome Knicks Trade
Brown openly campaigned for a Knicks trade when the Raptors were in New York in January after his trade from Indiana.
“Every time we play Thibs I go up to him and shake his hand, just because of what he’s done,” Brown told New York Post’s Jared Schwartz on Saturday, January 20, before his new team, Toronto Raptors lost to the Knicks 126-100. “Nothing but respect for Thibs.”
Brown is averaging 9.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists, not exactly gaudy numbers that could boost the Knicks bench in need of scoring especially in non-Jalen Brunson minutes. But his defense and positional versatility is what makes him an ideal fit in Tom Thibodeau’s system.
“I am a dog,” Brown told Schwartz. “I play extremely hard on both ends of the floor. I can do just about whatever [Tom Thibodeau] needs me to do.”
Bruce Brown Is Not Knicks Top Trade Target
According to Action Network’s Matt Moore, Brown is just a backup trade option for the Knicks.
“The Knicks continue to be mentioned as a potential landing spot, but New York has been seeking bigger deals. Brown might wind up being the “Plan B or C” for the Knicks, an outside source suggested.
With the Raptors’ notoriously high offer marks for various trade assets, the “finally” trades of Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby have not eased skepticism that the Raptors will be tough to get trade value from,” Moore wrote on February 3.
But on top of Brown’s skill set, his unique contract (he has a $23 million team option for next season) is the perfect mid-size contract that the Knicks could later flip in a star trade in the offseason.
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