Bruce Brown joined the Indiana Pacers last offseason, although the team’s recent big trade led to him getting a change in scenery. Brown was part of the package that Indiana sent to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Pascal Siakam, and despite playing in two games, there are questions about whether the veteran wing will stick around or get moved again as the Raptors look to build their roster around Scottie Barnes.
While his future is up in the air, it’s not hard to see why a team with aspirations of going on a playoff run would be interested in Brown, who has a team option for $23 million next season and is one of the better complimentary players in the league. Coincidentally, Brown played against one team that could really use his skill set on Saturday night when the Raptors played against the New York Knicks, and before the game, he gave some quotes to Jared Schwartz of the New York Post that sure made it sound like he’d enjoy suiting up for Tom Thibodeau.
“I am a dog,” Brown told The Post on Saturday night prior to the Raptors’ 126-100 loss to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. “I play extremely hard on both ends of the floor. I can do just about whatever [Thibodeau] needs me to do.”
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“I play extremely hard,” Brown said. “I would think [I’m] the type of player that he likes.”
Kudos to Brown for being honest, but it goes without saying, it’s not every day you see a player express this sort of fondness for how he’d fit in another coach’s system. It’s also not difficult to see how New York could make a move happen here, as the team is flush with future NBA Draft picks and has Evan Fournier’s contract to make the salaries work, should Toronto be interested in that sort of deal.
The Knicks and the Raptors have already worked out one trade this year, as New York sent Immanuel Quickley, R.J. Barrett, and draft capital to Toronto for OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, and Malachi Flynn.