NBA Trade Rumors: Raptors' Bruce Brown Goes To LA Lakers in Proposed Deal

Ever since he arrived on the scene with the Toronto Raptors as part of the Pascal Siakam trade last season with the Indiana Pacers, Bruce Brown was only seen as a temporary employee of the team. His $23 million contract (which the Raptors picked up) for the coming season makes no sense for a young team rebuilding.

Toronto tried to trade him at the deadline, but to no avail. They tried again around NBA Draft time, but again, no luck. That's not to say they've given up, and it's also clear that the Los Angeles Lakers have had some interest in adding Brown.

With all that in mind, Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report has proposed a trade that would land Brown in Hollywood, and still leave the Raptors with another key trade piece:

Los Angeles Lakers Receive:

Bruce Brown

Toronto Raptors Receive:

D'Angelo Russell
Jalen Hood-Schifino
2025 second-round pick (via LAC)

Brown was a key piece off the bench for the Denver Nuggets in their 2023 run to the NBA title, and the Lakers could see him in the same way, as a key rotation piece that can do a bit of everything, with the ultimate playoff experience.

As for the Raptors' end of this deal, Russell, who picked up his $18.7 million player option for the final year of his contract this coming season, will simply become another trade piece for Masai Ujiri to wield. He would certainly not take minutes from the newly-signed point guard of the future Immanuel Quickley in the lineup.

Hood-Schifino showed some mad skills as a rookie in the G League this past season after being selected 17th in the first round by the Lakers in 2023. With the South Bay Lakers, he averaged 22 points, 5.3 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 15 games, while shooting 43% from long range. In LA, he barely got a sniff of the court in his first NBA season, playing just five minutes a game in 21 contests.

The Raptors will certainly do everything they can to facilitate a Brown trade at some point, to expunge his expiring $23M contract from the payroll.