Lakers among teams interested in Raptors’ Bruce Brown

Well, a new name has hit the trade rumor mill, and as always, the Los Angeles Lakers are front and center.

Per Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers are interested in a trade for Toronto Raptors guard/forward Bruce Brown, who was a member of the Indiana Pacers three days ago. But Brown was sent to the Raptors as part of the Pascal Siakam trade with the Pacers.

Now, the Raptors may be looking to flip Brown to another team, as we relayed here. Brown does indeed have a trade-friendly contract. And the Lakers are trying to do something, anything to rise from their current state — which is about as average as it gets.

“If the Toronto Raptors decide to move on from Bruce Brown Jr., the Lakers will have interest in acquiring him, according to team sources,” Buha wrote. “The Lakers coveted Brown last summer and believed they were the favorites to sign him using the team’s nontaxpayer midlevel exception before Indiana swooped in with a cap-space offer.”

Of course, the Lakers have been linked to a bevy of others — such as Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray and Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine, as well as Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton and Washington Wizards guard Tyus Jones.

Brown, 27, signed a two-year, $45 million contract with the Pacers over the summer, fresh off winning a title with the Denver Nuggets.

He already made his Toronto debut, scoring 15 points and grabbing seven rebounds against the Chicago Bulls on Thursday, shooting 7-of-10 from the field. 

In 33 games with Indiana, he averaged 12.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists, shooting 48 percent overall and 33 percent on 3-pointers.

Overall, he carries NBA career averages of 8.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists with the Detroit Pistons, Brooklyn Nets, Nuggets, Pacers and Raptors.

Another team to keep an eye on when it comes to Brown is the New York Knicks, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv. 

Los Angeles is said to be seeking speed and athleticism at the wing to pair alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis.