4 Eastern Conference free agents Raptors must watch in playoffs

2. Bruce Brown, Brooklyn Nets

Acquired for failed former first-round pick Dzanan Musa, Brown has quickly become an indispensable player in the Brooklyn rotation for the last two seasons. Unfortunately for Kevin Durant and the Nets, financial commitments to their star players might make it tough for Brown to be retained.

The Raptors would love a player that has seen time as a small-ball forward and primary ball-handler this season. With Brown throwing in 8.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game on 53% shooting over the last two seasons, Brown’s defense and efficiency will arouse Nurse and the Raptors’ front office.

The Toronto Raptors would maximize Bruce Brown.

While Brown is shooting 40% on 3-pointers this year, he’s only taking slightly more than one per game. As a result, it’s hard to tell if that is the result of a small sample size or evidence of him adding a new dimension to his game. Toronto will likely require a couple of 3s per game if he makes the move.

While the Nets will try to play around with their finances to bring Brown back, the Raptors might be able to offer brown an extra year or more money up front. Stealing Brown from a division rival and making him a rotation member would be quite the move from Ujiri.