3 Burning questions for the Raptors to answer after the draft, free agency

No. 2: Where is Bruce Brown heading?

The one major chip the Toronto Raptors still have to play this offseason is Bruce Brown. Rather than use cap space this summer to sign free agents the Raptors elected to stay over the cap, picking up Bruce Brown's team option to keep him on the roster with the plan of trading him to another team for value. The bet was that the value of the trade return would be greater than the value of whatever else they could have done with that cap space.

The jury is still out, as Brown remains on the roster with no strong reporting on a suitor. Brown being on an expiring contract helps, as the Raptors could be a part of a trade where they take on long-term money and send Brown to a team that needs him to clear off the books next summer. On the flip side, his $23 million contract is a lot to salary match, especially for teams above either apron who need to send out more than they take back.

While the major free agent dominos have fallen - with the exception of DeMar DeRozan - there are still some stars on the trade market waiting to be dealt. Where Brandon Ingram or Lauri Markkanen end up will shift the landscape of the league, and both teams and players are waiting to agree to terms until they know how those deals end up.

Whether Brown is involved in one of those trades or not, the team that strikes out elsewhere could circle back to Toronto and make an offer for Brown. Would the Los Angeles Lakers have interest? The Golden State Warriors could send Andrew Wiggins to the Raptors for Brown to free up their salary in 2025. There are a few options still out there, but they're starting to dry up.

Do the Raptors carry Brown into the season? Paying him $23 million is a tough pill to swallow, especially given that they could have decline the team option and went in a different direction. Toronto needs to find that trade soon, because soon there may not be any options left.