NBA FREE AGENCY: Raptors exercise Bruce Brown’s $23 million team option

Does this preclude a trade involving Toronto’s best trade asset? Or is Brown’s tryout with the Raptors’ core in need of a longer look?

This is not what we’re supposed to discuss on Day 1 of free agency.

If you were to rank the NBA-related transactions by how excited fans get, it would look like this:

1. Trade
2. Free Agent signing
3. Waived (I see you, Golden State)
4. Player Option
5. Team Option

The first day of free agency — heck, the first hour of free agency — was one of my favourite parts of the NBA calendar. Shams and Woj would have dozens of saved tweets ready to fire off at midnight (or in this year’s case, 6 pm ET). Signings would be announced at break-neck speeds, culminating in familiar queries across the globe, “What? He signed with them???”

Adam Silver’s NBA, however, has cracked down on tampering. For the third consecutive draft, 2 teams had to forfeit a second-round pick (shoutout to the Philadelphia 76ers for losing a pick in 2023 AND 2024. How did PJ Tucker work out for you??). The value of a second-round pick is at an all-time high. The message surrounding tampering has been rung, loud and clear, and every team has seemingly obliged. (The fact that I have time to write this during the most exciting part of free agency is a testament to how few deals have been announced).

Let’s get back to Brown.

With his team option deadline on Friday, Bruce Brown’s future was in the hands of the Toronto Raptors’ front office. Had the clock ticked to midnight without any movement, Brown would have been one of the most coveted free agents on the market. Alas, Brown lives to be Raptor for another day!

Let’s break down what this means for Bruce Brown, the Toronto Raptors, and the free agency market.

Why did the Raptors pick up his team option?

Brown may have looked disengaged or out of sorts during his 34 games as a Raptor last season, but you would be too if you were traded in the middle of the season and expected to pick up the offensive philosophy, help with the new team’s lack of a defensive identity, and somehow establish chemistry with teammates who are also new to the team. Brown ended up playing only 10 games with Toronto’s starters: RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, and Jakob Poeltl. By picking up his team option, Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster are giving Darko Rajakovic more time (and training camp!) to fully integrate Brown into the system.

Whether or not he can find his footing with the team, Brown is fully aware of the elephant in the room: his hefty contract size. At $23 million, Brown offers Masai & team a valuable trade asset, who also played a vital role in Denver’s championship-winning team in 2023.

The NBA’s worst-kept secret is that NBA players, if given the choice, would not sign with the Raptors and rather play in the U.S. So, Toronto’s lack of movement in the first few hours of free agency is a sign that the front office knows this and wants to keep trade options open with Brown in mind.

What would it mean if the Raptors did not pick up his team option?

Toronto hasn’t typically had cap space to become serious players in the free agency game. While it would be nice to have an additional $23 million to throw at free agents, the market is lacking in franchise-altering (and gettable) free agents. The list of unrestricted free agents whose previous AAV was $30 million or more are LeBron James, Paul George, Klay Thompson, Tobias Harris, and Gordon Hayward.

Did the draft provide any clues into the Raptors’ next decision?

This was a weak draft that somehow offered Toronto a glimmer of hope. Ja’Kobe Walter adds much-needed scoring, Jonathan Mogbo will learn from (and replace at times) Jakob Poeltl, and Jamal Shead is the backup point guard this team sorely desired. None of Toronto’s draftees offer the same skillset as Brown, so his job/role is safe in that regard.

Where things might get dicey is when the roster size is considered. Toronto currently has 13 players under contract, along with 2 two-way players. They could sign Mogbo and Shead and wrap up the roster now. Any trade by the Raptors would likely keep the headcount the same (i.e. 1 player for 1 player). Otherwise, trading Brown (alone) for multiple players would require some additional roster moves (read: waive).

What happens now?

Until Masai or Bobby are able to find a trade for him, Brown will spend the offseason prepping for a bounceback campaign. He’ll get a chance to show he can still contribute and, hopefully, boost his trade value and end up with a contender.

Many believed that by picking up Brown’s team option, the Raptors would have a trade lined up. However, as has been the case so far in free agency, it’s been all talk and no action. For now, the only transaction involving Bruce Brown is the most boring kind. That could change very quickly.....but hopefully not before this gets published!