The New York Knicks may be one impact piece away from winning the 2025 NBA Finals.
Knicks could consider Raptors’ Bruce Brown
Bruce Brown could be that piece that the Knicks need. Per Forbes’s Evan Sidery, the Toronto Raptors are shopping their dynamic playmaking wing ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Sidery said this on the matter on Sunday night:
“Bruce Brown made his season debut tonight for the Raptors scoring 12 points in 19 minutes off the bench,” Sidery published on X. “Toronto will shop Brown to contending teams on a $23 million expiring contract ahead of the trade deadline.”
Brown could be Josh Hart 2.0 for struggling Knicks bench
The Knicks field a moribund bench. They are the lowest-scoring second unit in the league, averaging 20.4 points per game. They trail the next lowest-scoring team, the Los Angeles Lakers, by 4.9 PPG.
Brown is a high-energy guy who can bring to New York’s second unit much of what Josh Hart provides their starting lineup with. The 6-4 Massachusetts native is an exceptional rebounder for his size, much like the 6-4 Hart. Outside of his rookie outing, Brown owns an average of 4.6 rebounds per game.
The 28-year-old is great at soaring high for defensive boards and pushing the ball in transition. Brown makes incredibly high IQ decisions on the break and in the half-court, either when looking for his shot or finding open teammates. His career 13.5 percent assist rate nearly mirrors Hart’s 13.3 percent clip.
Knicks: Brown comes with little risk on the trade block
Further, Brown, is a stout three-point shooter when trailing. He leaks out to the corners for run-igniting triples, and capitalizes off of looks when defenses sag off of him. While he won’t contend for the league lead in scoring among bench players, the 2023 NBA champion would be a quintessential set-up man for Miles McBride, Cam Payne, and Precious Achiuwa in the Knicks’ second unit.
New York would have a tall task to complete to make the $23 million lime up in a potential swap. Mitchell Robinson’s contract would likely have to be the centerpiece of any deal. All things considered, if the Knicks can put the pieces in play to make a push for Brown, he’d bring championship experience, pace, and energy to a team that would welcome it.