5 Expensive players the Raptors could take back in a Bruce Brown trade

The NBA world was stuck in limbo for the past few weeks awaiting the resolution of the Lauri Markkanen situation. Now that the Utah Jazz and Markkanen will be together for at least another season, the rest of the league can start moving again toward final moves to set their rosters heading into next season.

"Late" trades happen every year; last year it was Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday on the move, and the year before Donovan Mitchell was traded in August. With so many players still reportedly on the trade block it would be a surprise if another trade didn't happen between now and the start of the season.

The Toronto Raptors would like to make a trade

The Toronto Raptors have at least one trade that they would like to make; the organization doesn't want to go into next season with Bruce Brown and his $23 million contract still on the roster. Trading him allows them to get back value and not have to work him into their rotation as they allow their young core to continue developing together.

If there was a team dying to secure Bruce Brown's services a deal probably would have happened already, but there are certainly a number of teams that would be interested in a playoff-tested two-way veteran. The difficulty is matching his $23 million contract.

Given that Brown is on an expiring contract, one way to set up a trade would be for a team to move off of a player on a long-term deal. The Raptors won't have cap space for years, so gaining an asset or two at the cost of taking on future salary doesn't do much to handicap their flexibility. Ideally, the Raptors can rehabilitate the player, but if not, the downside risk doesn't torpedo their future.

What players could the Raptors take back? Let's look at five options and discuss why such a move could benefit both sides.