Raptors pick up Bruce Brown option but still expected to trade him

The Toronto Raptors are keeping busy this offseason.

The Raptors announced Friday that they have exercised the team option on the contract of Bruce Brown for the 2024-25 season, worth a value of $23 million for next year.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report the news, with the team confirming it moments later.

Brown averaged 9.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 34 games for Toronto, while averaging 26 minutes a night after coming over from the Indiana Pacers as part of the Pascal Siakam trade.

Brown also shared the news of the move via his Instagram story.

But multiple reports, including the first one from Toronto Star‘s Doug Smith, suggest that the team is still looking for a new landing spot for the 27-year-old forward.

It’s been a busy few days for the Raptors in one of the most hectic times of the NBA offseason.

Toronto drafted Ja’Kobe Walter and Jonathan Mogbo in the NBA Draft, while also making a series of trades with Minnesota and Sacramento to acquire both draft picks and veteran players. The latter trade of the two was quite the haul for Toronto, as the team picked up Davion Mitchell, forward Sasha Vezenkov, the draft rights to Jamal Shead and a 2025 second-round pick (via Portland) from the Kings in exchange for forward Jalen McDaniels.

“This trade provides us with a mix of young and veteran players, as well as future flexibility and draft assets, as we continue our quest to win,” said Raptors general manager Bobby Webster in a statement. “We’re pleased to welcome Davion, Sasha and Jamal to the Raptors and to Toronto.”

The team also reportedly agreed to long-term contract extensions with Immanuel Quickley and Scottie Barnes, though neither has been officially announced.

For now, the team is just two days away from the free agency negotiation period being open, with deals being made as of June 30 and officially announced on July 6.

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