3 Signs Toronto Raptors might be tanking this season

No. 2: Bruce Brown is traded for picks

As we mentioned above, the Toronto Raptors prioritized players coming back to the team when they traded OG Anunoby, and in the Pascal Siakam deal they took on veteran guard/wing/forward Bruce Brown. Rather than let him walk as an expiring contract, the Raptors picked up his team option to keep him around for another year and pursue a trade.

The Raptors could do a lot of different things with his contract in a deal. It's possible they use him as the primary matching salary in a trade for a star, like the Pacers did with him last season; they could push in the chips for a win-now move for someone like Julius Randle or Karl-Anthony Towns, or target a younger option like Brandon Ingram.

A more likely path is to flip Brown for better-fitting role players, perhaps adding more of a true forward like Andrew Wiggins or Dorian Finney-Smith. They Raptors could even add two such players in one move using Brown's salary of $23 million for this season.

If the Raptors find a trade for Brown that brings back an overpaid or injured player, however, with significant draft capital attached, it becomes more clear that they are not trying to maximize wins for this season, and moving off of a reliable veteran for future draft capital becomes a signal that they are leaning into the tank.