Raptors veteran undergoes knee surgery just before training camp

One of the Toronto Raptors' biggest transfer prospects this season gets injured at the worst possible time.

Versatile shooting guard Bruce Brown (28) is expected to be out for at least three weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on Thursday, according to a Raptors press release (ESPN's Tim Bontemps also reported the news). The 6'4″ swingman is scheduled to be re-evaluated in three weeks.

After winning his first championship in 2023 as a key sixth man for the Denver Nuggets, the University of Miami product set out to make his fortune as a free agent – a move that necessitated his departure from a Denver club with limited resources. Brown signed a two-year, $45 million deal with the Indiana Pacers over the summer.

But his tenure in Indiana was short-lived.

At the February 2023-24 trade deadline, Brown was a key part of the Pacers' trade package to land former two-time All-NBA power forward Pascal Siakam. Indiana also traded away small forward Jordan Nwora, point guard Kira Lewis Jr., two 2024 first-round draft picks and a 2026 first-round selection with top-four protection. Toronto also gave up benched center Christian Koloko to make the deal work.

The Siakam trade helped strengthen Indiana's frontcourt and allowed the club to finish with a record of 47-35 and 6th place in the Eastern Conference.

The Siakam trade was the second major rebuilding move Toronto made last year. The Raptors also traded small forward OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks in December.

Anunoby and Siakam, who won a title together in Toronto during the Raptors' brilliant 2018-19 season, faced each other in the second round of the Eastern playoffs. Siakam's Pacers prevailed, outlasting the struggling Knicks in a seven-game slugfest, and were eliminated in the Eastern Conference finals by the eventual champion Boston Celtics.

Toronto, on the other hand, was all about slumping at the end of the season. The Raptors finished the season with a poor record of 25-57, which was enough for 12th place in the East. In his 34 games with Toronto last season, Brown averaged 9.6 points on .481/.317/.833 shooting percentages, 3.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 0.7 blocks.

This year's Raptors model, most likely doomed to fail again for the NBA draft lottery, boasts several veterans with movable contracts, most notably Brown and center Kelly Olynyk.

Brown is of no use to Toronto – or any other team looking to take on his expiring salary – if he's injured. Based on the press release's timeline for re-evaluation, Toronto seems optimistic that he won't miss much of the 2024-25 regular season. He'll most likely miss most or all of the preseason.

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