Could Knicks Trade For Bruce Brown After Pascal Siakam Deal?
The New York Knicks have been on a roll since they made a big move and traded for OG Anunoby, so the basketball world has wondered if they'll make another move before the Feb. 8 trade deadline.
This week, the Indiana Pacers sent Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora, and three first-round picks to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for All-Star forward Pascal Siakam. The trade should affect the Knicks for several reasons: New York (25-17) is currently jostling with the Pacers for positioning on the Eastern Conference playoff bracket but they could also insert themselves back into the transactional fold thanks to Toronto's apparent fire sale.
According to Ian Begley of SNY, the Knicks have "internal interest" in making another deal with Toronto, especially if Brown is moved again. Despite a lingering legal battle, New York and Toronto previously did business on the aforementioned deal that swapped Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, and Malachi Flynn for RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley.
The Knicks previously had interest in adding Brown, previously a member of last year's championship group from Denver, over the summer as a free agent.
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"The Knicks had strong interest in Brown as a free agent," Begley said. "The Knicks were actually his first meeting. Now, (with) Brown going to Toronto, he might be available. There are some people with the Knicks that would love to bring him on ahead of the trade deadline.”
This season, Brown is averaging 12.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.1 steals while shooting 47.5 percent from the field. The sixth-year man averaged 12 points on over 51 percent shooting during Denver's run to a title, which included a scoring output of 21 in the penultimate victory of the NBA Finals win over Miami.
If Toronto continues its purge, one that has bid farewell to most of the cornerstones from its 2019 championship group, Brown could be on the move for salary Even though the Knicks' assets were partially depleted by the trade for Anunoby, they still have several first-round picks and a few players (i.e. Quentin Grimes, Evan Fournier's contract) that could be used to make further moves.
The Knicks could get a firsthand look at Brown come Saturday night when the Raptors visit Madison Square Garden for an Atlantic Division showdown (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).
