The two biggest questions from the start of the season regarding the Toronto Raptors have now been answered by the trades of Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby and with it comes the official end of the "We The North" era.
When trades of this magnitude take place, there's guaranteed to be a bit of fallout, keeping the transaction as a topic of conversation until every loose end is tied up.
Following the most recent deal sending Siakam to the Indiana Pacers, there are a few additional pieces that need to be addressed. Immediately, it needs to be asked whether the Raptors could flip Bruce Brown to a third team.
Brown, a champion with the Denver Nuggets last season, signed a two-year, $45 million contract in the off-season that comes with a team option following this season.
Many teams view him as a strong, toolsy wing with a winning pedigree, one that could play a stable rotational role on any contending team. He proved as much in his debut with the Raptors, finishing with 15 points and seven rebounds on 7-for-10 from the field in 24 minutes of playtime. Not bad for a player who joined the team just over a day before suiting up.
According to SNY's Ian Begley, the New York Knicks have shown serious interest in acquiring the wing's services, dating back to when he was a free agent in the summer.
"The Knicks, as reported in late June, had significant interest in Brown during the 2023 free agency," Begley said in his report. "New York couldn't match the deal Brown received from the Pacers (two years, $45 million).
"If the Raptors make him available, there is significant internal support within the Knicks the pursue Brown."
In other related Knicks bits, they have reportedly dangled Quentin Grimes in trade talks according to The Athletic's Fred Katz. A package involving Grimes and his two-year, $2.8 million contract packaged with Evan Fournier's $18.8 million deal would be enough to match salaries with Brown.
After dealing their two big expiring contracts, Raptors GM Masai Ujiri was asked if he was still looking to make some deals ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline and made it abundantly clear that there are "definitely" more deals on the horizon.
"That's why we have created the flexibility." Ujiri said on Thursday, "The next few weeks, there are all these windows, whether it's now or the draft, whether it's free agency. That's why we've created flexibility – to make this team grow."
The Raptors stand to be a flexible player in the off-season, with Gary Trent Jr. ($18.5 million), Thaddeus Young ($8 million), Otto Porter Jr. ($6.3 million), Kira Lewis Jr. ($5.7 million) and of course, Bruce Brown ($22 million should they choose to decline his team option) all set for free agency come June.
With all this extra room to maneuver and the Raptors clearly being open for business with Ujiri more ready to listen than he has in prior years, what could be next for Toronto?
One of the big storylines ahead of Siakam's eventual trade from Toronto was his unwillingness to commit to a team without first testing the waters of free agency. Reports from NBA on TNT's Chris Haynes about him not wanting to sign a long-term contract anywhere should he be traded date back to the off-season.
Since being dealt to the Pacers, the story has changed somewhat, with ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reporting that Indiana had the utmost confidence in making a deal for him with the expectation of being able to retain him long-term.
"Siakam has talked through this process with Tyrese Haliburton," Wojnarowski said on ESPN's SportsCenter on Wednesday following the blockbuster trade. "The Pacers knew how much he wanted to play in Indiana."
The Pacers are also going into this off-season with ample cap space as they project to be $66 million under the luxury tax. That means unlike many other potential suitors, Indiana has the means to re-sign Siakam to a five-year, $247 million max extension.
"Now Indiana has him, they have a team in the East that is going to be dangerous," Wojnarowski said. "And they have a lot of confidence that their relationship with Todd Ramasar, Siakam's agent, and Andrew Nembhard, who Ramasar also represents, that they're in position to have a long relationship with Siakam."
Lastly, according to The Athletic's Sam Amick, while in Toronto, Siakam would tell people that Pacers big man Myles Turner, known for his ability to space the floor and protect the rim, is the type of centre that "would work wonders for his game."
He added that Turner was second only to Kevin Durant on his list of players he would love to play with.
According to Wojnarowski, the Atlanta Hawks are finally ready to bite the bullet and admit that the trade to pair Dejounte Murray with Trae Young didn't work.
"Atlanta is ready to trade Dejounte Murray. They have given some time to the Trae Young/Dejounte Murray Backcourt, they're ready to move on from it," Wojnarowski said on NBA Today. "Murray is the player that they're engaged around the league with."
Wojnarowski added that the Lakers seem to be a prime contender for the guard's services, saying that the two sides have "exchanged some ideas," but added that the Hawks are engaged with "a lot of teams."
Another team getting a fair amount of traction in the Murray sweepstakes, surprisingly, is the San Antonio Spurs.
According to separate reports from Shams Charania and ESPN's Zach Lowe, San Antonio is reportedly interested in a reunion with the guard who enjoyed his best years as a member of their team. He had his first All-Star selection in his final year with the Spurs in 2021-22.
"I heard from a number of people, an unexpected team that at least knocked on the Hawks' door about Dejounte Murray was the Spurs," Lowe said.
With Victor Wembanyama being a clear-cut franchise player and the piece that the Spurs intend to build around for the foreseeable future, questions have arisen about what pieces could be needed to maximize his output. They've sputtered to start the season, playing to a putrid 7-33 record, good for last in the West, and have been oft-criticized for their inability to get their phenom the basketball.
Bringing in a strong playmaker and shot creator like Murray could finally help end the Jeremy Sochan point guard experiment and give them a legitimate piece to help Wembanyama develop.
Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer added that the market for Murray is vast and that teams like the Knicks, 76ers, Heat and Pistons could all be interested in what he could bring to the table.
Chris Haynes chimed in as well, reporting that the Milwaukee Bucks are "registering interest" in trade for Murray. However, following the trade for Damian Lillard in the off-season, the Bucks don't own any of their draft picks from now until 2030, making a potential deal somewhat cloudy.
- According to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, the Lakers are out on Zach LaVine and have instead pivoted towards getting help at the point, with Wizards guard Tyus Jones apparently drawing interest. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype says that rival execs believe it will cost a first-round pick to secure the 27-year-old's services.
- Kyle Kuzma could also be on the block after signing a four-year, $90 million contract extension in the off-season, with many teams needing a scoring jolt at the wing. According to The Athletic's Sam Vecenie, the asking price for him would stand to be at two first-round picks.
- With a new ownership group in place, the Charlotte Hornets are more willing than ever to cut bait on some of the old guard. According to Jake Fischer, everyone but LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Mark Williams are on the table, with Terry Rozier being the player drawing the most interest. He's in the second year of a four-year, $96 million contract, so whatever team trades for him may have to bite the bullet on a somewhat heavy price tag. Additionally, Rozier seems to want out and has apparently said that the Miami Heat are his preferred destination.
- Already scraping the bottom of the barrel, the Detroit Pistons are ready to get even worse as they're reportedly gauging the market for veteran wing Bojan Bogdanovic. According to Marc Stein, the Pistons had some "exploratory discussions with a number of teams" regarding his services but added that it's not a certainty they'll deal him as they face the prospect of setting the all-time record for most losses in a season.
- Veteran Alec Burks, who's been on a strong run of late averaging 18.2 points on .473/.477/.907 in the Pistons' past 12 games, could also be moved according to Stein, with the Knicks reportedly having a "level of interest" in re-uniting with the guard.
