2 Raptors players who deserve more playing time, and 2 who need to play less

Bruce Brown needs to play more

The Toronto Raptors traded Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers for a package that was primarily centered on draft picks, with Bruce Brown the main matching salary. The expectation was that Toronto would then flip Brown to a contender at the Trade Deadline, but instead they kept him on the roster.

Brown has been quite bad since joining the Raptors, shooting just 25 percent from 3-point range on a minuscule volume and getting absolutely boatraced when he is on the court; the Raps are being outscored by 6.7 points per game in his minutes.

This summer Brown has a team option for $23 million; the Raptors can let him walk, decline the option and work out a new contract, or pick it up and trade him to another team. If they want Door No. 3 to be possible they need him to play better down the stretch and rehabilitate his value. Otherwise, there may not be any trade suitors for him at that $23 million number.

Brown is a solid veteran player who has always been an underrated playmaker even as he is praised for his defense. It's reasonable to think that he will pull out of the nosedive and play better down the stretch. Will it be enough to make another team interested in trading something of value this summer? Perhaps, perhaps not, but it's worth a shot. Who else is going to play anyway? The options are quickly thinning out.