What to do with Bruce?

[pharring]

I am just so tired of everything being "wait and see". They got Brown with the intention to wait and see what they could get at the trade deadline. They got nothing. If they pick up his option, it will be another series of wait and see: Can his salary be useful to a trade at the Draft? Can it be useful during FA as a sign-and-trade? Can it be useful as teams head to camp if injuries crop up over the summer? Can it be useful at the next trade deadline?

Always kicking the can forward in the name of flexibility. Meanwhile, his skill set isn't driving improvement on the current roster and his value is being diminished as a result. If you are an opposing GM, are you paying $23 million worth of anything you value on the assumption you can get 2023 Bruce Brown instead of 24/25?

Have the stones to just let him go. I couldn't care less about the salary sheet implications. Show me you care about putting a team on the floor because of pure basketball fit and talent and not also for "future flexibility of something comes along". It's been years of this flexibility crap.

[KrazyP]

Bruce Brown's team option date is June 29. His contract in itself is somewhat valuable because he can be traded prior to free agency to a team trying to clear immediate cap space for free agency or a team just looking to get under the luxury tax aprons.

The Raps should obviously be trying to leverage this situation and explore trade options to get a contract back that they can trade in the future + 1st round pick (if possible).

This is misleading; Brown's option needs to be picked up for us to trade him. You can't trade him then having the receiving team decline the option.

I stand corrected. This actually sucks.

Player with options
Players who have team or player options can’t be traded before those option decisions are made. In other words, a club can’t acquire a player with a team option in June, then decline that option before the end of the month as a way to create cap room.

However, a player who has an option year for the following year on his contract technically can be traded, either before or after the new league year begins. As part of the deal though, his option would need to be exercised. That’s what happened a couple years ago with Chris Paul, for instance, when he was sent from Los Angeles to Houston.

[aminiaturebuddha]

Bruce has not much value so i dont know what even to get for him that helps the raps. And cause some mention Poeltl, it only makes sense if you get at least 2 FRP or something equal in Value. If you dont it just makes the team worse for no reason at all.

Seems like Denver is missing him. He would fit in very well with Denver.

He's a good player with shooters around. A shame the Raps don't have much of that right now. It's a weird fit with Brown and the Raptors.

He'd fit well in Denver, I'm just not sure they have the cap space to absorb him, which was why they couldn't sign him last off-season.

I wonder if OKC might be a good fit, though. They picked up Gordon Hayward at the trade deadline to be a swiss army knife vet bench guy but he's been a total dud for them. Brown could probably do that same role better right now, and OKC should have cap room this summer, so they could take him in a trade and then extend him. I don't expect we'd get one of their 1sts, but the Raps don't have a 2nd next year and OKC has 2 of them (in addition to 3 1sts). Maybe they could get one next year and another for a future year.

[will]

Bruce has not much value so i dont know what even to get for him that helps the raps. And cause some mention Poeltl, it only makes sense if you get at least 2 FRP or something equal in Value. If you dont it just makes the team worse for no reason at all.

Seems like Denver is missing him. He would fit in very well with Denver.

He's a good player with shooters around. A shame the Raps don't have much of that right now. It's a weird fit with Brown and the Raptors.

He'd fit well in Denver, I'm just not sure they have the cap space to absorb him, which was why they couldn't sign him last off-season.

I wonder if OKC might be a good fit, though. They picked up Gordon Hayward at the trade deadline to be a swiss army knife vet bench guy but he's been a total dud for them. Brown could probably do that same role better right now, and OKC should have cap room this summer, so they could take him in a trade and then extend him. I don't expect we'd get one of their 1sts, but the Raps don't have a 2nd next year and OKC has 2 of them (in addition to 3 1sts). Maybe they could get one next year and another for a future year.

What? Gordon Hayward is on OKC?!??!?? Haven't seen him.

Must be a DAD Young helluva locker room kind of guy.

[aminiaturebuddha]

Seems like Denver is missing him. He would fit in very well with Denver.

He's a good player with shooters around. A shame the Raps don't have much of that right now. It's a weird fit with Brown and the Raptors.

He'd fit well in Denver, I'm just not sure they have the cap space to absorb him, which was why they couldn't sign him last off-season.

I wonder if OKC might be a good fit, though. They picked up Gordon Hayward at the trade deadline to be a swiss army knife vet bench guy but he's been a total dud for them. Brown could probably do that same role better right now, and OKC should have cap room this summer, so they could take him in a trade and then extend him. I don't expect we'd get one of their 1sts, but the Raps don't have a 2nd next year and OKC has 2 of them (in addition to 3 1sts). Maybe they could get one next year and another for a future year.

What? Gordon Hayward is on OKC?!??!?? Haven't seen him.

Must be a DAD Young helluva locker room kind of guy.

Haha yeah, they keep giving him 3 minutes a game in the hopes he might show that he still knows how to play basketball, but it hasn't happened yet.

[Mascot]

waive his ass

[Psubs]

Unless something comes up during the draft, then I think it's best to not exercise the option and also let Trent walk to maximize cap space for team that might want to avoid the tax and maybe free up money to use the MLE.

Maybe Memphis would like to bring back Jonas Valaciunas but they are giving Bane a huge raise and are at $161 million.

So Memphis trades Brandon Clark, #37 and cash to Toronto for a top 55 protected 2nd pick? Then they sign JV to the MLE for 4 years.

Maybe flip the #37 for a future 2nd pick?

[DreamTeam09]

Unless something comes up during the draft, then I think it's best to not exercise the option and also let Trent walk to maximize cap space for team that might want to avoid the tax and maybe free up money to use the MLE.

We lose the MLE in your scenario..
Other teams have capspace who can weaponize it as well
Brown can potentially still return us an asset & other teams can clean up their future books

[MiamiSPX]

Bruce Brown's team option date is June 29. His contract in itself is somewhat valuable because he can be traded prior to free agency to a team trying to clear immediate cap space for free agency or a team just looking to get under the luxury tax aprons.

The Raps should obviously be trying to leverage this situation and explore trade options to get a contract back that they can trade in the future + 1st round pick (if possible).

This is misleading; Brown's option needs to be picked up for us to trade him. You can't trade him then having the receiving team decline the option.

Yes, people keep getting this wrong. HIs peak value was at the trade deadline when a team could have used him for a playoff run and then had the luxury of picking up that TO or letting him walk. Now his value has dropped dramatically because he's really a 15M player who is going to be paid a lot more than this year.

The only value he has now is to a team that wants that 23M contract so they can use it in a trade later.

[Scase]

I am just so tired of everything being "wait and see". They got Brown with the intention to wait and see what they could get at the trade deadline. They got nothing. If they pick up his option, it will be another series of wait and see: Can his salary be useful to a trade at the Draft? Can it be useful during FA as a sign-and-trade? Can it be useful as teams head to camp if injuries crop up over the summer? Can it be useful at the next trade deadline?

Always kicking the can forward in the name of flexibility. Meanwhile, his skill set isn't driving improvement on the current roster and his value is being diminished as a result. If you are an opposing GM, are you paying $23 million worth of anything you value on the assumption you can get 2023 Bruce Brown instead of 24/25?

Have the stones to just let him go. I couldn't care less about the salary sheet implications. Show me you care about putting a team on the floor because of pure basketball fit and talent and not also for "future flexibility of something comes along". It's been years of this flexibility crap.

This FO has been the text book definition of choice paralysis for years. Always constantly worried that "I could've done better" while consistently being found in the position of "How could you possibly even done worse?". It's so tiring. Never ending evaluating, just to make the worst choice possible, every damn time.

Bruce Brown's team option date is June 29. His contract in itself is somewhat valuable because he can be traded prior to free agency to a team trying to clear immediate cap space for free agency or a team just looking to get under the luxury tax aprons.

The Raps should obviously be trying to leverage this situation and explore trade options to get a contract back that they can trade in the future + 1st round pick (if possible).

This is misleading; Brown's option needs to be picked up for us to trade him. You can't trade him then having the receiving team decline the option.

Yes, people keep getting this wrong. HIs peak value was at the trade deadline when a team could have used him for a playoff run and then had the luxury of picking up that TO or letting him walk. Now his value has dropped dramatically because he's really a 15M player who is going to be paid a lot more than this year.

The only value he has now is to a team that wants that 23M contract so they can use it in a trade later.

Yet every time I have said this, some 200IQ comment gets throw in that "the same deals will be there in the off season". Imagine declining a FRP just to be in this situation.

[Mak]

Bruce Brown's team option date is June 29. His contract in itself is somewhat valuable because he can be traded prior to free agency to a team trying to clear immediate cap space for free agency or a team just looking to get under the luxury tax aprons.

The Raps should obviously be trying to leverage this situation and explore trade options to get a contract back that they can trade in the future + 1st round pick (if possible).

This is misleading; Brown's option needs to be picked up for us to trade him. You can't trade him then having the receiving team decline the option.

Yes, people keep getting this wrong. HIs peak value was at the trade deadline when a team could have used him for a playoff run and then had the luxury of picking up that TO or letting him walk. Now his value has dropped dramatically because he's really a 15M player who is going to be paid a lot more than this year.

The only value he has now is to a team that wants that 23M contract so they can use it in a trade later.

Yeah, that's too bad. He looked like a minimum player here most of the time. I think at this point we will keep him and only move him if the team is really bad around trade deadline.

[Raptorfan2012]

If we cannot get a reasonable deal for Brown, then just cut him and take the cap space. I am not with the school of we HAVE to get something for every player heading into FA because I consider cap space as an asset. Brown didn't work very well with our team. Let's try to refill our bench with some players that may fit our needs more. I want guys like Tyus Jones, Jalen Smith, Lonnie Walker, Monk, Gary Harris, Oubre Jr, Hartenstein, Caleb Martin, Tilman.

[MiamiSPX]

This is misleading; Brown's option needs to be picked up for us to trade him. You can't trade him then having the receiving team decline the option.

Yes, people keep getting this wrong. HIs peak value was at the trade deadline when a team could have used him for a playoff run and then had the luxury of picking up that TO or letting him walk. Now his value has dropped dramatically because he's really a 15M player who is going to be paid a lot more than this year.

The only value he has now is to a team that wants that 23M contract so they can use it in a trade later.

Yeah, that's too bad. He looked like a minimum player here most of the time. I think at this point we will keep him and only move him if the team is really bad around trade deadline.

I suppose I should have also added the option of a team looking to get off some money. Like I could see Sacramento trading Huerter and some sweetener for Brown so they get off the term remaining (and they have to make some changes). But we all know the sweetener won't be enough for Masai. And even if something like that did go through, is it really a good deal? I mean, I would probably do it but Huerter had career lows across the board last season.

Anyway, I am not pining for Huerter, that was just an example. The point I am trying to make is that anyone who trades for Brown now isn't doing so because they are high on him and would love to pay him 23M. They are not doing it for Bruce Brown, the actual player. It would be because they want to get off some money, or use his contact for a bigger, better move at the deadline. I don't see many such teams out there.

[goinrogue]

My guess is we move him with 31 for a late lottery pick. I think the bulls would bite. Maybe the rockets if it’s Bruce and 19 for 3.

[OAKLEY_2]

My guess is we move him with 31 for a late lottery pick. I think the bulls would bite. Maybe the rockets if it’s Bruce and 19 for 3.

Many teams that have a top 3 put out an all points bulletin that the pick is in play only to pull back on the idea before the draft. I also think Bruce/19 won't cut it. We just won't be doing that. Bruce option will get picked up. I think we have pieces for Ingram.

Poetl, Boucher, Agbaji, Pacers 2026, our 2024 #31 for Ingram and EJ Liddell.

[will]

If we cannot get a reasonable deal for Brown, then just cut him and take the cap space. I am not with the school of we HAVE to get something for every player heading into FA because I consider cap space as an asset. Brown didn't work very well with our team. Let's try to refill our bench with some players that may fit our needs more. I want guys like Tyus Jones, Jalen Smith, Lonnie Walker, Monk, Gary Harris, Oubre Jr, Hartenstein, Caleb Martin, Tilman.

We're talking about Bruce Brown. Unless it's the Denver Nuggets on the other end of the phone, don't hold your breath.

[YogurtProducer]

My guess is we move him with 31 for a late lottery pick. I think the bulls would bite. Maybe the rockets if it’s Bruce and 19 for 3.

Many teams that have a top 3 put out an all points bulletin that the pick is in play only to pull back on the idea before the draft. I also think Bruce/19 won't cut it. We just won't be doing that. Bruce option will get picked up. I think we have pieces for Ingram.

Poetl, Boucher, Agbaji, Pacers 2026, our 2024 #31 for Ingram and EJ Liddell.

But.... why? We give up a lot just to be a worse version of what we started last year with?

[ForeverTFC]

My guess is we move him with 31 for a late lottery pick. I think the bulls would bite. Maybe the rockets if it’s Bruce and 19 for 3.

Many teams that have a top 3 put out an all points bulletin that the pick is in play only to pull back on the idea before the draft. I also think Bruce/19 won't cut it. We just won't be doing that. Bruce option will get picked up. I think we have pieces for Ingram.

Poetl, Boucher, Agbaji, Pacers 2026, our 2024 #31 for Ingram and EJ Liddell.

How does Ingram make sense when we already have 2 players in Scottie and IQ that like to initiate offense? Maybe you can make the argument that this is just a good asset consolidation move for us to flip him down the line, but I'm not sure...

[kalel123]

I consider Bruce Brown another lost asset. Way too late to hope to pull a fast one on another team. Just hope they don't package a pick with him do a shortsighted move unless it's to get a better pick than the one they are trading.

[ConSarnit]

I am just so tired of everything being "wait and see". They got Brown with the intention to wait and see what they could get at the trade deadline. They got nothing. If they pick up his option, it will be another series of wait and see: Can his salary be useful to a trade at the Draft? Can it be useful during FA as a sign-and-trade? Can it be useful as teams head to camp if injuries crop up over the summer? Can it be useful at the next trade deadline?

Always kicking the can forward in the name of flexibility. Meanwhile, his skill set isn't driving improvement on the current roster and his value is being diminished as a result. If you are an opposing GM, are you paying $23 million worth of anything you value on the assumption you can get 2023 Bruce Brown instead of 24/25?

Have the stones to just let him go. I couldn't care less about the salary sheet implications. Show me you care about putting a team on the floor because of pure basketball fit and talent and not also for "future flexibility of something comes along". It's been years of this flexibility crap.

This FO has been the text book definition of choice paralysis for years. Always constantly worried that "I could've done better" while consistently being found in the position of "How could you possibly even done worse?". It's so tiring. Never ending evaluating, just to make the worst choice possible, every damn time.

This is misleading; Brown's option needs to be picked up for us to trade him. You can't trade him then having the receiving team decline the option.

Yes, people keep getting this wrong. HIs peak value was at the trade deadline when a team could have used him for a playoff run and then had the luxury of picking up that TO or letting him walk. Now his value has dropped dramatically because he's really a 15M player who is going to be paid a lot more than this year.

The only value he has now is to a team that wants that 23M contract so they can use it in a trade later.

Yet every time I have said this, some 200IQ comment gets throw in that "the same deals will be there in the off season". Imagine declining a FRP just to be in this situation.

I think the issue is that all 1sts are not created equal. If the Knicks were offering a late 1st in this draft we already know:

-this draft sucks
-at the time we were slated to possibly have 3 picks in the top 31
-we already traded a late 1st this year for Agbaji

The front office values a late 1st this year as much as they value Agbaji. It's a gamble to keep Brown but trading him for late 1st in 2024 isn't exactly a haul. We are drafting at 19 and 31 so if we've identified players in that range we're going to have a chance to draft them. If we had no 1sts then yeah, not trading Brown was a mistake but adding another late 1st doesn't do much for us. The ship hasn't sailed on Brown returning something of value (in a salary dump or from a team looking to add a playoff rotation level player).

It is a risk to hold onto Brown but the offer was not strong, especially given our draft situation. It was a hat on a hat offer and I'm sure the Knicks knew that.