One NBA analyst proposed that the Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Lakers make a trade with each other. Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report proposed the following mock trade: Trade idea: The Toronto Raptors trade Bruce Brown to the Los Angeles Lakers for D’Angelo Russell, Jalen Hood-Schifino and a 2025 second-round pick (via LAC) “When ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Raptors were picking up Brown’s $23 million team option, the scribe immediately noted Brown ‘will be a valuable trade asset on an expiring contract.’
In other words, Brown didn’t need to spend a ton of time learning Toronto’s real estate market,” Buckley wrote in his NBA trade column. “The Raptors need someone to see Brown as their dot-connecting missing piece, and maybe the Lakers would seek out this kind of shake-up. They’ve never seemed fully comfortable with Russell, they hardly played Hood-Schifino as a rookie and they can’t be too closely committed to that second-rounder.
“Toronto, though, might sense Hood-Schifino has a chance to thrive in a more patient, development-focused environment than L.A. It also wouldn’t scoff at picking up another second-rounder, even if it probably won’t be a great one. As for Russell, he’d help perk up the scoring and shooting, but really, he’d probably just slide into Brown’s spot as a serviceable veteran waiting for a win-now shopper to make its move for him.” Brown played for the Indiana Pacers and Raptors this past season.
He averaged 10.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.3 blocks while shooting 47.8% from the field, 32.3% from beyond the arc and 82.4% from the free-throw line.Russell averaged 18.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.5 blocks for the Lakers in 2023-24. He shot 45.6% from the field, 41.5% from beyond the arc, and 82.8% from the free-throw line. The Lakers are looking to trade Russell, who has a $18.7 million player option for 2024-25. The Raptors missed the 2024 playoffs, while the Lakers lost to the Denver Nuggets in the first round in five games.
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