The Toronto Raptors have multiple veterans on their roster who will, in all likelihood, not be retained for the 2024-25 season. Bruce Brown and Gary Trent Jr. seem like the two most likely candidates to be moved, given their value to possible contenders across the NBA.
The Raptors could hold on to Brown and lock up one of their bench spots, as his ability to defend multiple positions and finish in the interior at an uncommonly high rate for a guard is exceptional. However, if a team is willing to meet Toronto's asking price, Brown could be as good as gone in Canada.
Reports suggest that Toronto is asking for a first-round pick and a young player with some potential in exchange for Brown. After not even one year removed from becoming an elite role player on a championship Nuggets team, his value to the best squads in the league has been crystallized.
The Raptors need to take a look at these three young players if they want to move brown and add yet another standout neophyte who can enter the mix for what should be a very intriguing 2024-25 roster. Without one of these three becoming available, Toronto might be better off holding on to Brown.
3 young players the Toronto Raptors must target in Bruce Brown trade talks.
3. Quentin Grimes, SG, New York Knicks
The Knicks have been one of Brown's more active suitors, so much so that Brown himself even talked up how well he could fit in with New York before his second game with the team. If the Raptors want a young player, Grimes seems to make a ton of sense for them.
Grimes is averaging 7.2 points per game while making around 39% of his shots this season. Considering he averaged 11.3 points per game last year, adding Grimes would be equal parts adding a young player with a diverse offensive toolbox and bringing on yet another reclamation project.
The Toronto Raptors could land Quentin Grimes from the Knicks.
Some might not like the idea of turning one-third of the rotation into a collection of former Knicks that failed to really take off in New York, but the production bump that RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley managed to see when they made the trip up north could help Grimes as well.
Grimes is a bit of a gamble, but the Raptors would likely be better off from a financial (and possibly competitive) point of view if they roll the dice with Grimes and a young draft pick instead of a player like Brown who could cost as much as $23 million as a bench player next season.