The Los Angeles Lakers’ admiration of 27-year-old guard Bruce Brown has been the worst-kept secret since NBA free company this previous offseason. The Lakers had been nearly instantly linked to Brown as a participant they had been enthusiastic about signing, however following a two-year, $45 million provide from the Indiana Pacers, the younger guard appeared set to journey off into the sundown together with his new staff.
However issues change rapidly within the NBA and Brown was dealt to the Toronto Raptors earlier this season as a part of the Pascal Siakam deal. Now, not solely are the Lakers as soon as once more linked, however it seems Brown has an actual likelihood to be traded for a second time this season resulting from Toronto’s deal with constructing the youngest core doable.
TSN’s Josh Lewenberg reported that the Raptors are “open for enterprise” in commerce talks for each participant except for Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett.
“It is a staff in transition, and even after a few huge franchise-altering strikes, Ujiri has made it clear that they’re not performed dealing forward of the Feb. 8 commerce deadline. A number of league sources have confirmed the apparent, the Raptors look like open for enterprise, and outdoors of Barnes and the 2 former Knicks, every little thing and everyone seems to be on the desk,” Lewenberg writes. “If they’ll flip any of their vets – Trent, Dennis Schroder, Chris Boucher, the newly acquired Bruce Brown or maybe even Poeltl – into picks or prospects that may assist push the rebuild ahead, it’s exhausting to see them passing that up.”
Contemplating this report got here out one week after ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski spoke concerning the Lakers and Brown on “NBA Countdown” (and did so once more simply days later), it is possible Lakers common supervisor Rob Pelinka will spend fairly a little bit of time on the cellphone because the Feb. 8 commerce deadline approaches. Wojnarowski on the time said that Brown is the participant “[the Lakers have] actually been centered on making an attempt to accumulate” ever because the staff’s Western Convention Finals loss to the Denver Nuggets final spring.
The Raptors’ reported willingness and openness to buying and selling nearly any participant – together with Brown – is noteworthy, however it’s particularly intriguing for the Lakers.
The Lakers, who’ve additionally been linked to Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray, amongst others, seem increasingly prone to finally change issues up as the times roll on. However simply how energetic they’re going to select to be is a giant query and much more fascinating, whether or not there is a path to including each Brown and Murray. The asking value from the Hawks for the latter is probably going too excessive to be a practical consequence.
