Bruce Brown could be on the move again, and the Knicks are reportedly one of the teams interested in him.
Brown, who was traded from the Pacers to the Raptors in Pascal Siakam's blockbuster earlier this week, has a “huge market,” including the Knicks. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports. Friday.
Wojnarowski said the Lakers, who pursued him in free agency, are also among those interested in the 27-year-old small forward.
The Knicks were also interested in Brown, who the Raptors will play as a free agent in the summer against the Knicks on Saturday night, and pitched the idea to him.
A few months ago, Brown told the Post that he had a FaceTime chat with Tom Thibodeau and Leon Rose and they were “telling him to come in and be a defender and do the little things to win.”
Apparently Thibodeau is a longtime Brown enthusiast.
“Thisbus has always been a fan of mine, even drafting me when I was in Minnesota,” said Brown, a second-round pick in 2018. But this was the first time he actually got a chance to catch me.”
In the end, the Knicks never had a chance to become a free agent.
They could only offer about $12.4 million per year as a mid-level exception, and Brown received a two-year, $45 million offer from the Pacers (with a team option for next season for $23 million).
According to sources, Brown is the Knicks' second choice for the mid-level exception, behind Max Strus, who signed with the Cavaliers for more than New York could offer.
The Knicks pivoted to Donte DiVincenzo, and the deal worked out well for Rose.
Brown, who won last season's NBA championship with the Nuggets, was averaging 12.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game with the Pacers before being traded to Toronto.
His career field goal percentage is 48.2 percent, with 33.9 percent of his shots coming from beyond the 3-point arc.
Brown scored 15 points in the first game against the Raptors on Thursday night, but the Bulls lost 116-110.
He admitted that he is still just getting used to his new surroundings.
“I didn't know the play,” Brown told reporters after the game, according to the Associated Press. “I was just trying to get into the right position.”
The Pistons' 2018 second-round pick has some familiarity with New York, having played for the Nets from 2020-22.
— Stefan Bondy contributed to this report
