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

No. 5: Andrew Wiggins

The Golden State Warriors were at the front of the line to trade for Lauri Markkanen, just as they were in the mix for Paul George before he opted out of his contract and signed in Philadelphia. Now that they are left standing with no upgrade to speak for, they are reportedly going to be active in search of "smaller deals" to make this summer.

Andrew Wiggins has been an important player for the Warriors over the years, including a crucial run to the 2022 Finals that saw Wiggins at his fullest potential as a rebounder, defender and secondary scorer. In the two years since, however, Wiggins has been a much worse player, with ice-cold shooting streaks and a lack of overall impact.

This season Wiggins will make $26 million in the second year of the four-year extension that he signed in the aftermath of that title, and then over the following two seasons will make a total of $58 million. As the Warriors try to reshape a contending team around Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, the future flexibility of moving off of Wiggins might be worth it, especially if they can get back a solid player in his stead.

Enter Bruce Brown and the Toronto Raptors, who can give Golden State a proven veteran to step into Wiggins' spot in the rotation and defend opposing guards while making intelligent cuts on offense and providing some secondary ball-handling, which may be valuable on a team without a true backup point guard.

The Raptors get back a Canadian forward who was an All-Star just a few years ago; given his two-way track record, there is a very real chance Wiggins can bounce back, and either fill an important role on the Raptors or be flipped again once his value rebounds. If the Warriors attach a decent asset or two, perhaps Moses Moody and a second, this would be a slam dunk trade for Toronto to make.