{"id":119255,"date":"2025-01-21T08:51:13","date_gmt":"2025-01-21T13:51:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=119255"},"modified":"2025-01-21T08:51:13","modified_gmt":"2025-01-21T13:51:13","slug":"10-teams-benefit-raptors-bruce-brown-buyout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/01\/21\/10-teams-benefit-raptors-bruce-brown-buyout\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Teams That Can Benefit From Bruce Brown Buyout"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Toronto Raptors are looking at their options with Bruce Brown<\/a>, whose two-year, $45 million contract expires in the offseason. In fact, they’re a team who could look to help facilitate<\/a> a Jimmy Butler<\/a> trade. By offering Brown to the Miami Heat, they could help them move Butler but still get their desired cap relief.<\/p>\n

If they can’t find the right deal for Brown, then the Raptors could also explore<\/a> a buyout, according to The Stein Line insider Jake Fischer. To be honest, the Raptors probably should be good enough to be in postseason contention. Yet, they haven’t played up their talent level because they’ve lacked the focus, effort and frankly the maturity. As a result, the 28-year-old is also a candidate for a buyout agreement that would allow him to play for a more competitive team.<\/p>\n

10 Teams That Can Benefit From Bruce Brown Buyout<\/h2>\n

In that event, there are several teams that could consider signing him.<\/p>\n

Miami Heat<\/h3>\n

Depending on if they can find a trade<\/a> for Butler, the Heat’s roster might look completely different by the time Brown is bought out. Assuming it stays the same, their backcourt would benefit from his addition. Pelle Larsson<\/a>, though a guard who can make winning plays, is a rookie who isn’t as productive as Brown. Alec Burks<\/a> has played well in limited limits. Nevertheless, he shouldn’t be the only experienced guard they can count on to come off the bench come playoff time. Josh Richardson<\/a>, currently out with a heel injury, has only played eight games this season.<\/p>\n

Dallas Mavericks<\/h3>\n

Luka Doncic<\/a>‘s already going to be ineligible to win NBA MVP due to how many games he’s missed (21). Back injuries are notoriously tricky, so the bulging disc that Kyrie Irving<\/a> was revealed to have could have him sidelined at inopportune times. Dante Exum<\/a> has yet to play this season after undergoing right wrist surgery<\/a>. Even upstart guard Jaden Hardy<\/a> is currently out with an ankle sprain. Fortunately for the Dallas Mavericks, Brown has experience playing both guard positions.<\/p>\n

Minnesota Timberwolves<\/h3>\n

Depending on how long Donte DiVincenzo<\/a>‘s recent injury will keep him out, they could look into signing Brown. He doesn’t offer the same reliability from the arc, but Rob Dillingham<\/a>‘s insertion into the rotation should provide cover for that. Their depth on the perimeter is still pretty thin at the wing without DiVincenzo though. Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch could opt to play Joe Ingles<\/a>, widely known as a deadly marksman. However, Brown’s defense could be more appealing given the team’s foundation.<\/p>\n

New York Knicks<\/h3>\n

The New York Knicks have a player on the roster who’s somewhat similar to Brown in Josh Hart<\/a>. Connectors, Brown and Hart aren’t great shooters. Regardless of that, they’ll play any role to help the team win. Putting them on the court at the same time would come with a couple of risks but a few more rewards. Because of Brown’s mentality, versatility, adaptability, hustle, defense and the need for someone<\/em> to absorb a parcel of the starter’s heavy minutes<\/a>, it makes sense for them to consider signing the veteran.<\/p>\n

Denver Nuggets<\/h3>\n

With Russell Westbrook<\/a> now in the starting lineup, the Denver Nuggets got the extra spark they needed before they fizzled out. However, the bench has long been a work in progress. Thus, Westbrook’s promotion does come with a bit of a complication<\/a>. In conjunction with their decision to put the former MVP in the first unit, Aaron Gordon<\/a> has been demoted to the second unit. There, he plays a role more similar to his Orlando Magic days, with mixed results. Adding another ball-handler, especially one they have familiarity with in Brown, would help.<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Lakers<\/h3>\n

Given the recent comments from LeBron James<\/a> and JJ Redick, the Los Angeles Lakers need to add more talent<\/a>. However, they have 13 rotation-caliber players on their roster already and don’t seem very likely to make a trade, at least a major one. If they’ve resigned themselves to cost-effective solutions, then signing a player on the buyout market could be their preferred option. Brown’s number could be called, by Redick or Rob Pelinka, if they decide they wanted more of a scoring punch than Cam Reddish or Gabe Vincent<\/a> have provided.<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Clippers<\/h3>\n

With Kris Dunn<\/a> now slotted alongside James Harden<\/a> in the first unit, the Los Angeles Clippers’ point guard depth is a bit thin. It may not look that way on paper. Yet, Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue doesn’t quite trust Bones Hyland<\/a>. An argument can be made that Brown isn’t as skilled as the VCU product, but he’s a seasoned playmaker who can be counted on defensively. He’s also likely to have a clearer mind on the court and in the locker room, as Hyland has been openly frustrated by his lack of playing time.<\/p>\n

Atlanta Hawks<\/h3>\n

The Atlanta Hawks have gone years without finding a suitable backup for star Trae Young<\/a>. This season looked like the one where they might have had their prayers answered. However, they decided to make Dyson Daniels<\/a> –a nominal point guard –Young’s sidekick in the backcourt. 2023 No.15 pick Kobe Bufkin<\/a>, who has played 27 career games, is out for the season with a shoulder injury. Undrafted rookie Keaton Wallace<\/a> has stepped up to the plate but the soon-to-be 26-year-old is on a two-way contract. Enter Brown, who can play behind or beside Young.<\/p>\n

Orlando Magic<\/h3>\n

Jalen Suggs<\/a> and Anthony Black<\/a> can be a liability on offense because their game is sharper at the defensive end. That’s not what will make the Orlando Magic take a look at Brown, though it could mean they’re more willing to accept his weaknesses. The glaring problem is that Suggs has only played two games in 2025 due to a back injury. Due to the nature of his injury and Suggs’s importance at both ends, fortifying their point guard depth seems wise. Because Brown and Black can both play multiple positions, he could remain in the rotation when they’re at full health.<\/p>\n

Boston Celtics<\/h3>\n

The Boston Celtics have had some defensive slippage as of late. Even Jrue Holiday<\/a> hasn’t quite looked like himself at that end. Perhaps it’s just fatigue though. They’ve had plenty of short summers due to deep playoff runs. Last year, three Celtics –Holiday, Derrick White<\/a>, and Jayson Tatum<\/a> –represented the U.S. at the Paris Olympics. Brown, who only recently made his season debut, has fresher legs than most players. Having the Boston-born guard come off the bench behind Holiday could help them take their defense up a notch.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Toronto Raptors are looking at their options with Bruce Brown, whose two-year, $45 million contract expires in the offseason. In fact, they’re a team who could look to help facilitate a Jimmy Butler trade. By offering Brown to the Miami Heat, they could help them move Butler but still get their desired cap relief. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":119305,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[14,4,1608,5,30,20,27,26,16,21,62,12,17,4721],"tags":[4533,142,297,4774],"class_list":["post-119255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-raptors","category-hawks","category-basketball","category-celtics","category-mavericks","category-nuggets","category-clippers","category-lakers","category-heat","category-timberwolves","category-nba","category-knicks","category-magic","category-trade-rumors","tag-bruce-brown","tag-jimmy-butler","tag-nba-free-agency","tag-rumors"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119255","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119255"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119255\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":119306,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119255\/revisions\/119306"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/119305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119255"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119255"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}