The Toronto Raptors may have been handed one of the best gifts of their offseason by the Phoenix Suns, who just waived sophomore Koby Brea. The 41st pick in the 2025 NBA Draft was waived from his two-way deal today, according to HoopsHype's Mike Scotto, and with one two-way opening after signing Nate Bittle, Toronto needs to be all over this. Brea is an elite three-point shooter who can play on the wing and is capable of being an NBA-level contributor already, but was stuck in a tough situation with the Suns.
With Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks occupying prominent roles in Phoenix’s perimeter rotation, alongside the Suns’ overwhelming depth on the wing, this move isn’t shocking. Brea also isn’t super gritty or tough defensively, which makes it hard to earn playing time on a team with the culture that Jordan Ott built last season.
While Brea isn’t a seamless fit for the Raptors or head coach Darko Rajaković, this team still desperately needs three-point shooting, and he could be a plug-and-play piece for them.
The Raptors' final two-way spot should go to Brea
In 12 games for the Suns last season, Brea shot 43.3% from three-point range and averaged 3.8 points per game in 7.0 minutes per game. But his small NBA sample isn’t the reason I want the Raptors to be all over him as their final two-way player—it’s his resume from college.
If you’re new here, hi, I’m Chris Lambert. I love the NBA Draft, scouting, and college basketball.
Coming into the 2025 NBA Draft, I had a first-round grade on Brea as a prospect because he was such a potent shooter in college. Over 149 career college games, he shot 43.4 percent from three on 4.9 attempts per game and shot 49.8 percent in his fourth year with Dayton before shooting 43.5 percent from three in his final college year at Kentucky. Anytime Brea was on the court in college, defenses’ heads were on a swivel, making sure he didn’t get freed up even a little bit because, whether it was right off the catch or a pump fake into one dribble, he was automatic from deep.
Brea isn’t just some three-point-line-hugging shooter. He has true shoot-it-from-parking-lot range and is a threat to make a shot the second he passes over the half-court line.
We’ve seen how successful Jamison Battle has been as a reliable shooter for the Raptors, along with the opportunities his spacing creates for his teammates. Bobby Webster could replicate that recipe with Brea, and there’s really no excuse for him not to with an open two-way spot sitting there.
Brea is far from a perfect player, but he has a skill the Raptors continue to be told they need more of: knockdown shooting. With a two-way spot open, this move feels like a no-brainer, as adding Brea to the Raptors' developmental system could benefit both parties in a big way.
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