The world-champion Denver Nuggets don’t make the national news often, but when they do, it is usually pretty big. For starters, they won the championship. For another, they could bring back a player who helped them get there.
That would be none other than guard Bruce Brown, now with the Toronto Raptors. He just landed in Toronto after last week’s blockbuster trade with the Indiana Pacers for forward Pascal Siakam.
Anyway, per Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report/TNT, the Nuggets are among the teams interested in trading for Brown. But there could be complications.
“I was told that the Denver Nuggets would love to have Bruce Brown back,” Haynes said on the This League Uncut Podcast. “They just don’t have the picks to try to do that…That’s something to keep an eye on down the road.”
In other words, the Nuggets would have to give up a player, and perhaps a good one, to talk the Raptors into trading Brown back to Denver. And as Haynes mentioned, the Nuggets likely don’t have the picks that the Raptors seek.
As we relayed here, the Raptors reportedly want a first-rounder and “quality player” in exchange for Brown. He is widely expected to be moved ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline.
The Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks are among the others who are reportedly interested.
Brown, 27, signed a two-year, $45 million contract with the Pacers over the summer, fresh off winning a title with the Nuggets.
He scored 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds against the Bulls in his Raptors debut, 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.
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