Warriors should have no interest in Raptors guard after blockbuster trade

The Toronto Raptors have been incredibly active over the past month, sending out two big-name players in O.G. Anunoby and Pascal Siakam. That's not to say the franchise couldn't make another move or two before the February 8 trade deadline though, with the potential of Golden State Warriors involvement despite having missed out on both Anunoby and Siakam.

As part of the Siakam deal with the Indiana Pacers, the Raptors received versatile guard and 2023 NBA champion Bruce Brown Jr. Despite the 27-year-old having made his debut in Thursday's loss to the Chicago Bulls, Brown's future in Toronto isn't necessarily assured past the deadline.

The Golden State Warriors should have no interest in trading for Bruce Brown Jr. despite his impact on the Denver Nuggets last season

Having held interest in both Anunoby and Siakam previously, could the Warriors re-open negotiations with the Raptors on Brown? Sports Illustrated's Ben Stinar thinks so, believing the six-year veteran could aid in Golden State's defensive woes.

"As part of the hypothetical deal, the Warriors could send the Raptors future Hall of Famer Chris Paul and draft picks in exchange for (Thaddeus) Young and Brown. "

- Ben Stinar

There's a couple of issues with this deal -- firstly, it's not actually feasible before the deadline. As a recently traded player, Brown cannot be dealt again with other Raptor players. Golden State or any other team must trade for him, and him solely.

The Warriors could still trade for Brown, potentially in a straight-swap for Canadian native Andrew Wiggins. Would they pull such a move though, and is it worth holding interest in Brown entirely?

The answer is no. Brown is a role player. A very high-level one yes, but not one that's likely to have the impact Golden State needs. He's not someone who's going to go out and give you 25 points -- there's a reason the franchise was linked with Siakam, and other scorers like Kyle Kuzma that could be gettable before the deadline.

Brown is averaging 12.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists in his 34 games this season -- good numbers but not exceptional given he's now making $22 million. He would help the Warriors defensively sure, yet he's also a 6'4" guard in a team that desperately lacks size.

Would Brown be an upgrade on the likes of Brandin Podziemski and Gary Payton II? Possibly but not by enough for it to be totally worth it, not to mention trading Wiggins gives up a type of player they need.

The Warriors' 18-22 record means they should explore a move for any good player that may be available. That's not to say they should make a trade for the sake of it though, and adding Brown would feel like just that.