4 Bruce Brown trades for Raptors to flip veteran guard to a contender

Trade No. 3: Bruce Brown is Philadelphia's backup plan

The Philadelphia 76ers are looking to make a major swing in free agency this summer, having cleared $60 million in cap space and in a unique position with Tyrese Maxey's low cap hold allowing them to sign players before agreeing to a deal with him after the cap space is used up.

The problem with that plan is that it can't be rolled over to next season; they need to use that space this summer because they won't have it next year. They are hoping to sign Paul George or use the space to trade for a star, but it's very possible they will instead be forced to spend it on lower-rung role players to build a team out around Maxey and Joel Embiid.

One possibility would be sending out an outgoing free agent in a sign and trade to bring in Bruce Brown, a player who can fill a role around Embiid and Maxey right now but, similar to the Warriors' situation, operates as a contract they can trade later in the season if a deal for a star comes available. Having a large expiring contract on the books keeps their options open, and they can always agree to an extension with Brown to keep him around if a deal doesn't materialize at the deadline.

Here's what such a deal could look like:

For the Raptors, this deal gives them a starting shooting guard to stand in while Ja'Kobe Walter grows into the role and maintains a defensive floor on the perimeter that Gradey Dick couldn't provide. This would be a sign-and-trade that could hard cap the Raptors at the first luxury tax apron, but they were unlikely to exceed that mark anyway. Paul Reed's money is cleared off the books for the 76ers and becomes a solid buy-low opportunity for the Raptors to find their backup center.

This deal doesn't bring a ton of value to either team, but it's probably better than nothing for Toronto and could be the best option for Philly if their top few routes fall flat.