Morning Coffee - Jan. 23, 2025
Trade season is the best season | The 905 has some interesting kids | Raptors @ Hawks
NBA Trade Board: Jimmy Butler, Bradley Beal, Zach LaVine and more big names on market - The Athletic
Trade Rank: 10
Trade value: First-round pick
Best fits: Lakers, Jazz, Pacers, Kings
Brown is back in the lineup for the Raptors and doing his typical thing off the bench, providing tough defense, some ballhandling and sharp cutting. The 2018 second-round pick is a proven winner, having played a critical role on the NBA champion Denver Nuggets in 2023 as the team's sixth man. He played the third-most minutes on the team in the regular season and was one of the team's six main players during its playoff run, providing quick ball movement, quick processing and decision-making, plus very high-level defense across multiple positions. He's an interesting player type in that he can play power forward on offense but also shift up on defense and defend at the point of attack or take on bigger wings with how physical he is. He continued to showcase that skill set last year after signing a contract with Indiana and being traded midseason in the Pascal Siakam trade to Toronto. The only real flaw with Brown's game as a role player is that he's an inconsistent shooter who doesn't get guarded regularly on the perimeter in catch-and-shoot situations. Other than that, he's effective across the board.
The issue for Brown moving at the deadline, though, is that contract he signed with the Pacers. It was essentially a two-year, $45 million balloon payment deal to get him to sign. The Raptors picked up the team option this past offseason, and his salary is $23 million. That's a big number for salary-matching purposes midseason. Still, I bet someone will make the move. The team that should strongly consider it is the Lakers, given that they desperately need help on the perimeter defensively and considered Brown last offseason before the Pacers came over the top and blew their offer out of the water. They have several mid-tier contracts they can use to get to Brown's level and should be willing to give up a well-protected first-round pick to acquire him given his potential fit. Even with Dorian Finney-Smith, Brown's defense is a strong fit.
NBA Trade Deadline 2025: Buyers, sellers and bystanders - Sportsnet
This one shouldn't come as a surprise considering the position they're in.
It's evident the Raptors are in a rebuild, which means they're after three things right now: Draft capital, young players or expiring deals to free up space for future moves.
As things stand, Toronto has around $11 million in cap space under the first apron, a flexible roster spot after cutting Bruno Fernando and roughly $42 million in tradeable expiring deals between Davion Mitchell, Chris Boucher and Bruce Brown Jr. who the Raptors are reportedly "very motivated" to move.
Meaning, they have the wiggle room to make deals one-on-one or play the middle-man for more complex moves (like a Butler trade).
Given the team's current state and the quality of the next couple of drafts, juicing their odds at a top pick and stockpiling assets is a practical way to go about things. And with their vets playing better of late — Kelly Olynyk is on top form, Boucher is just coming off a torrid stretch and Brown is piecing together consistent efforts — it's a good time to strike.
They may have already nabbed Scottie Barnes' long-term co-stars at last year's deadline in RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, but while that remains uncertain, the Raptors need to give themselves as many kicks at the can as possible.
How the Raptors Can Provide the Key to a Jimmy Butler Trade to Phoenix - Sports Illustrated
While Toronto has no interest in acquiring Beal, the Milwaukee Bucks have frequently been mentioned as a potential landing spot for the 31-year-old former All-Star. To make it work, the Bucks would need to shed $56 million in salary to absorb Beal’s contract while also remaining under the second tax apron. This would likely require including Khris Middleton, along with Bobby Portis, Pat Connaughton, and one of Milwaukee’s lower-salaried players.
So what might that look like?
Even then, finding a deal that fits perfectly is challenging. Toronto could absorb Connaughton, Portis, and another contract or two while sending Brown to Miami. The Raptors would likely need to be incentivized with a first-round pick to take on those multi-year contracts.
In this scenario:
Phoenix sends Beal to Milwaukee and receives Butler from Miami.
Miami acquires Middleton from the Bucks and Brown from Toronto.
Toronto absorbs contracts like Portis and Connaughton to facilitate the deal.
Milwaukee gets Beal from the Suns and parts ways with Middleton, Connaughton, and Portis.
Still, the math doesn’t quite add up.
Miami’s incoming salary would exceed league rules unless they send out another player. Identifying the additional outgoing salary from Miami complicates the trade further. The deal might also require a fifth team to smooth out salary-matching or player placement into trade exceptions.
Can it be done?
Yes. If the involved teams are motivated enough, there’s a path to make the salaries align by leveraging trade exceptions and adding another team to the mix.
What’s clear, though, is that Phoenix appears to be gearing up for a significant move. If landing Butler is their goal ahead of next month’s trade deadline, the Suns will undoubtedly need help from several parties to pull it off.
Are the Toronto Raptors winning too much? - Raptors HQ
At 11 wins and 32 losses, the Raptors currently sit 14th in the Eastern conference, second to last. Yet, they are slightly gaining on the Charlotte Hornets, who sit 13th and have a record of 11-28. The Brooklyn Nets are not that far ahead, with a record of 14-30 in 12th. From there, you start getting dangerously close to Play-In tournament contention, and as Masai Ujiri once said, “play-in for what?” Especially when Cooper Flagg is available.
The issue here is that the 15th team in the conference is Washington, and they currently have six wins on the season. The Raptors are dangerously close to doubling that, and it doesn’t seem like the Wizards are catching up any time soon.
In the Western Conference, only one team has less wins than Toronto, which is a good sign. The Utah Jazz sit at a record of 10-31, and the New Orleans Pelicans sit just above the Raptors at 12-32.
So right now, the Raptors are the third worst team in the league when you only take standings into account.
Why Raptors prospect Jamison Battle isn’t worried about putting up shots with the 905 - Toronto Star
“You know, I’m not a big fan of Toronto traffic, but it’s been good. That’s just life,” Battle said. “People have told me you’re going to be moving and always have a bag packed, so having that mentality and an open mind … has kept me present in the moment and thriving.”
He is enjoying a relatively successful run with the 905, averaging 11.9 points per game, and while he’s aware of the low number of long-distance shots he has taken, he is helping the team pile up the wins. The 905 are 7-3.
“I think it’s just about playing the game the right way,” Battle said after scoring just five points Wednesday. “That’s how I’ve been trained, how I’ve been conditioned and how I was brought up. Take shots when you feel like they’re there. I am an unselfish player and I just want to help the collective win games.”
Battle takes pride in contributing on the defensive end, guarding the toughest opponents and being a disruptive presence. It might feel like he’s passing up shots on offence but he does not mind if someone gets a better look.
“In the end, everyone has confidence in me to shoot the ball … I feel like I’m one of the best shooters, not only in the G-league but in the NBA, too,” he said.
But there are others on the 905, some on assignment, some on two-way deals, looking for their touches, too. AJ Lawson had 23 points Wednesday, Ja’Kobe Walter had 18 points) Jonathan Mogbo had 14, and Ulrich Chomche added six points, six rebounds and six blocks.
“It helps with being connected and understanding that there’s no selfish player on this team, and obviously help accomplish what they want to accomplish and win as a collective,” Battle. said
“Whether it’s Ja’Kobe or Jonathan or Jamal Shead or Ulrich, we’re all connecting and we’re all together because we’re in the same rookie class. That locker-room presence we have with the Raptors, it comes down here and the guys with the 905 are so open and so friendly and understanding that they want to win, too.”
Raptors Share Rave Reviews as Rookie Center Shows a Glimpse of his Potential - Sports Illustrated
“He's playing extremely hard, especially with defensive end, blocking every shot, being active,” Mitchell told OnSI.
Mitchell, known for his own defensive prowess, couldn’t help but highlight Chomche’s potential on that end of the floor.
“Sky’s the limit for him, bro,” Mitchell said. “It’s just up to him where he wants to be, how much energy he wants to spend. Playing defense, you got to use a lot of energy. That’s kind of up to him, honestly.”
Mitchell added that Chomche has made strides offensively, particularly in his ability to finish plays. Earlier this season, the Cameroonian big man struggled to catch the ball as the game seemed to move too fast for him, but he has made significant progress in that area, Mitchell said.
“I think that he's learning the game, learning terminology. There is a lot on his plate. He's learning what it takes to be professional at this level,” Rajaković added. “We have a plan for him, and we don't want to rush his game.”
Toronto signed Chomche this past offseason to a two-year, two-way contract, signaling their commitment to his development. He’s expected to spend the remainder of this season and much of next year in the G League, giving the Raptors time to evaluate his progress before making a decision on his future.
“There is a lot for him to learn,” Rajaković said. “But I see a lot of potential with him, and we're going to invest in him and help him become an NBA player.”
Tuesday night offered just a glimpse, but in the moments, Chomche showed why there’s reason to be excited about his future. For a rookie still finding his way, progress like this is exactly what the Raptors are hoping to see.