Raptors picking up Bruce Brown’s $23M option for 2024-25

Bruce Brown will remain a Toronto Raptor for at least a little while longer.

The team announced that it has picked up its $23 million option for the guard before Friday’s deadline.

Brown, 27, joined the Raptors in January as part of the deal that sent Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers. Through 34 games in Toronto, he averaged 9.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists 55.7 per cent true shooting.

After winning a championship with the Denver Nuggets in 2023, Brown signed with Indiana in the off-season, agreeing to a two-year, $45-million contract.

The second year was a club option the Raptors gained control over once the former 42nd-overall pick arrived in Toronto.

Many believed Brown would be dealt at last February’s trade deadline, given he’s proven to be a serviceable role player on a title squad. And with Toronto’s timeline hitting the refresh button with their mid-season fire sale, getting value out of his team-friendly deal made sense. Yet no deal happened and, instead, all eyes turned to Wednesday’s NBA Draft as the next opportunity.

With the two-day draft now complete, and Brown not having been dealt, the Raptors had until midnight Friday to pick up his option and re-evaluate, or let him presumably walk in unrestricted free agency.

Toronto opted for the former.

Whether that means the Raptors aim to include the versatile ball-handler in their future plans or it was done to afford more time to work out a trade, is yet to be determined.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Brown’s $23 million cap hit “likely becomes part of a trade this summer or during (the) season.”

The news comes minutes after the team made their draft-day trade with the Sacramento Kings official. Toronto acquired Davion Mitchell, Sasha Vezenkov, the draft rights to Jamal Shead (45th pick) and a 2025 second-round pick via Portland in exchange for Jalen McDaniels.

And hours before that, it was reported that the Raptors agreed to a five-year, $175-million extension with restricted free agent Immanuel Quickley, intended to be signed once the off-season moratorium is lifted on July 6. The 25-year-old guard was acquired from the New York Knicks in December along with Canadian RJ Barrett in exchange for OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn.

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