The only thing more underwhelming that the Pascal Siakam trade has been the discussion surrounding it, full stop.
While there's certainly a discussion to be had about how the assets they've obtained have been used - the Ochai Agbaji/Kelly Olynyk trade with the Jazz is a homerun given the front office only gave up a bottom 3 pick in a draft executives have repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with the prospect - the package of Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora, Kira Lewis and 3 firsts - two of which were protected (The Pacers picks are Top 3 and Top 4 protected, though the former will convey at 19th in the 2024 NBA draft) - gave the Raptors neither a prospect one could expect to develop into a starter in the immediate future.
We all know this, we've all talked about this, it's been done to death and the fact that two of those first rounders came from a draft class the Raptors felt comfortable trading out of via a lightly protected first-rounder last season to acquire Jakob Poeltl speaks well enough for the strange sequence of events that culminated in the exit of a player who expected to be a Raptor for life.
Equally drawn out - but more relevant as the draft fast approaches - has been the discussion of the main piece of salary that came back from Indiana, NBA champion Bruce Brown.
Initially seen as a trade piece to potentially bolster the return one got for Pascal, Brown has been underwhelming as a depth piece and simultaneously was not moved at the trade deadline for the Raptors asking price of a first round pick or a young player. While the former can be attributed to a knee injury, the fact remains that Toronto didn't get what they were hoping for at the deadline and a down year from the supporting player has only served to complicate getting that 1st rounder the Raptors were so adamant to acquire.
Diminished or not, there is value to be had for Bruce Brown, albeit for different reasons than his on-court contributions. The 2024 free agency class is a weak one, and while there are a few interesting players who could make for interesting bench additions before one has to worry about the cap impact of Scottie's presumed max extension, ultimately there aren't any standouts for upgrading the team's point of needs. Sure, Jalen Smith would be a nice bench big addition but he's not going to move the needle from play-in territory to surefire playoff seed.
Whether or not his play has affected his value as a contributor to a playoff team's front office, Bruce Brown does have some value as salary relief for a team at or near the first apron - and a few of them just happen to be around the late lottery or have a future 1st to part with. While Brown alone might not be enough to secure a first rounder, it is possible he could be moved with the Pacers pick to move up in the draft to go after a player the Raptors are interested in (It's been frequently mentioned that Masai was spotted scouting Tidjane Salaun though that doesn't necessarily mean anything; he was also spotted scouting Ismael Kamagate in 2022 yet we went with Christian Koloko) but may not fall to 19. That's obviously not the same value as getting a 1st but it is useful, and depending on the incoming salary they get in return, they could find themselves a cheap fix for the current roster's many flaws via a "distressed asset" a la RJ Barrett; the future point guard and current center positions are locked up but while RJ and Scottie will continue to start, it's up in the air where 2-thru-4 they'll be and who'll take the last position, doubly so with Trent Jr.'s extension is seemingly dead in the water.
In part 1, we'll go over three of the teams that might make for a trade partner to move up from the Raptors current pick situation.

Chicago Bulls

https://preview.redd.it/g4ppml85krzc1.png?width=784&format=png&auto=webp&s=faf5335b01aeed5379977057b25e708d8a16183a
Most likely player(s): Lonzo Ball
2021/22 Stats: 13 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists 42.3% FG, 42.3% 3P, 75% FT
Incoming salary: $21.3 million (Net of -1.6 million)
Pick(s) available: 11th pick in 2024 draft, future 1st from Blazers (Lottery protected thru 2028)
Quick note before going forward: While there may be instances where I list multiple picks from a given team, it's altogether unrealistic to expect more than 1 being exchanged unless it's a case where the Raptors are trading down for for two picks in this draft, say, they move from 19th to 22nd and 23rd this year in a similar fashion to what the Grizzlies did in the 2022 NBA draft. However, given the Raptors already traded the worst of the 2 1st rounders they acquired in this draft, I don't think they'll add another draftee unless someone on their board falls to a position they'd feel comfortable making a deal for.
Anyway, this is perhaps the most obvious suggestion if one operates under the assumption that the Bulls will live up to their namesake with the profound stubbornness and refusal to rebuild they've displayed over the past few years. Assuming they bring back DeMar, Chicago seems poised to at the very least run it back - if only so they don't give up a valuable pick they owe to the Spurs (Top 10 protected) in 2025 - and they have a very obvious player to attach/dump with their pick.
Unlike other names that will come up, it almost feels pointless to discuss Lonzo Ball as a player because he hasn't played in over 2 years. The once-promising point guard has been on a lengthy recovery timeline and while there's been some talk of him making a return next season, there's zero certainty that the same Ball which had the Bulls as a 1 seed back in 2021/22 will be the one hitting the hardwood. It's not impossible that he'll return like nothing happened but the most likely scenario is whomever is holding Lonzo's Bird Rights by the 2025 offseason will end up waiving them or buying him out.
With the rise of Coby White - a point guard who, quite frankly, should have won MIP over Maxey - and Ayo Dosunmu improving in his own right as a capable backup point, Chicago has all the reason to rid themselves of Lonzo's not insignificant portion of the team's cap if they plan on making their mandatory play-in appearance. Brown would give them a depth piece off the bench that can contribute right now while still keeping that alleviation an expiring contract grants their increasingly complicated salary concerns with DeMar poised for a pricey new contract (Ironically, the Bulls trading Lonzo for Brown would increase their payroll by around $1.6 million but I digress).
Heck, if the Bulls try to run it back but find themselves ready to embrace the rebuild they should have at last year's deadline - it isn't altogether difficult for them to meet the requirements to hit on their pick's protections in 2025 - they can likely recoup some value via moving Brown at the 2025 deadline or earlier on the season should they decide to #RaisetheFlagg early.
So yeah, Lonzo and the 11th for Bruce Brown and 19th.
Maybe they expand this into a 3/4 team deal involving Zach Lavine being sent to another team and reroute something to Toronto.
Maybe Toronto turns that 11th pick in to the 2025 first that the Raptors reportedly wanted at the deadline and merely select in the Top 6 (if they keep their pick) and 31st.
Maybe you wrap in a Boucher deal in to this or Chris ends up in Chicago as well.
Maybe you opt for the Blazers future 1st (which is heavily protected until 2028 so...maybe not).
Maybe you try and call the Spurs to see if giving that pick will let them change the protections on Toronto's owed pick (I doubt they give back pick control outright for the 11th pick in this draft).
Point is, there's a lot of options but as far as frameworks/trade partners go, they're a very obvious one and it makes sense for both parties if the Bulls do decide to run it back against all good judgement...the key word being "if".
The one complicating factor in all of this is the Bulls might not want nor be able to keep DeMar at the price tag/years he's seeking. Fit concerns and faux contender status aside, the 76ers are a preferable scenario compared to the Bulls as a playoff team and it's easy to see a world in which Philadelphia adds a new albatross contract to replace Tobias Harris' with via an aging, albeit still very productive on offense, DeMar DeRozan.
With his extension status up in the air, it's entirely possible he'll hit free agency and walk, leaving the Bulls with an absolute nightmare of an offseason to navigate with Zach LaVine likely on the bloc with no one wanting him.
Whether or not LaVine is on the move on draft night in his own right is an open question. Chicago has a lot of question marks of their own heading in to the draft but the same cannot necessarily be said for the next team...

Utah Jazz

https://preview.redd.it/10pgl6e8krzc1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=3418daf4e620428f032dd3c84e7784eef65a1a7f
Most likely player(s): John Collins
2023/24 Stats: 15.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists 53.2% FG\37.1% 3P\79.5% FT
Incoming salary: $26.6 million (Net increase 3.6 million), 3 years 2 + 1 player option
Pick(s) available: 8th pick in 2024 draft (if owned after the 2024 lottery their pick does not drop to 10), 2025 Timberwolves/Cavaliers 1st
Let me pull out a tin foil cap and offer you a theory: I think that the Ochai Agbaji/Kelly Olynyk trade started out as a potential John Collins/Bruce Brown swap to get the Mormon state's team to save a bit of money in the short-term & a lot of money in the long-term while simultaneously filling in a backcourt hole the trading of O.G. and Pascal opened up. Presumably, this began under the goal of getting that 2025 1st Masai and co. were aiming for but whatever the behind the scene specifics, that's not the trade we ended up with.
Owed to Collins having a pretty lengthy contract and him fitting a position of need for the Raptors, albeit with a pretty large asterisk that we'll touch on in a moment, John fit the mold for the buy-low "distressed asset" player that Masai Ujiri has sought out such as the aforementioned RJ Barrett acquisition who has seen a paradigm shift in both production and player reputation since playing for the Raptors.
I've talked about Collins before when his name kept cropping up in the 2023 trade rumors at the deadline, as well as when the Hawks were looking to trade for Pascal Siakam; at the time, John or fellow frequently rumored Hawks player De'Andre Hunter were seen as the main piece of salary. If you want a longer explanation then by all means go ahead and read it but the short version is that it was very easy to turn down a deal where Collins was the centerpiece for Pascal, even if John Collins is perfectly capable as an NBA forward.
After being traded to the Jazz for pennies on the dollar and failing to rehab his overall value to be flipped by known fleecer Danny Ainge, Collins name has found his way back in the rumor mill with the Jazz trying to get rid of him, owed largely to their frustration with the former Hawks forward.
In a vacuum, John Collins does fill the role of a stretch 4 or a small ball 5...sort of. The problem is that John Collins, while a decent player overall, is a positionally confusing one on defense. A great finisher and lob threat on offense, he isn't fast enough to guard most 3s and 4s on defense, and he lacks the size to be a full-time option for a small ball 5 a la the similarly short (Both are 6'9) Bam Adebayo. His shooting has rebounded from a career-low 29% in his final season with the Hawks (owed largely due to a finger injury that should not be viewed for the faint of heart) to more in line with his career average, Collins days with the Jazz have seen him boasting a 37% 3-point percentage on around 3 attempts per game.
And yet, that optimistic turnaround doesn't extend to the season Collins had overall. Yes, he's staying close to his career averages for shooting, rebounding, etc. but that's despite greater opportunity being afforded to him.
That is in of itself part of the problem; the Jazz are in a rebuild where, aside from Lauri Markkanen, no one on the team is guaranteed to be part of their future, and even Lauri has had rumors chasing him ever since January. The door is wide open for anyone to rise up and become a franchise piece, and there's plenty of young talent to give a run for.
It's a prime environment for John Collins to showcase why he was once seen as a rising star like he did in Atlanta during games where Trae Young was out and yet...his tenure in Utah has only served to reinforce the notion that John Collins is who he is, and he's not going to improve much from where he is as a player right now.
The player Collins is right now and will be for the duration of his current contract is not a bad one, but they are overpaid relative to their production; Collins is being paid roughly $25 million on average with a player option in the 3rd year of his contract so while he won't be the worst placeholder one could have for a big man, the amount of cap they do take up will require any team that takes on his money to carefully build around the margins under the new CBA.
The other "trades don't exist in a vacuum" caveat with a Jollins/Brown swap is that...look, the Raptors want some form of draft capital, whether it's moving up in the draft, picking up a 2nd 1st later in the draft or, preferably, a 1st in the 2025 draft. The Jazz do have a pick in this draft but it may be a bit too far out of reach to jump up to via a simple salary dump.
Going from 19 to the late lottery a la the above Bulls suggestion or the third team we'll talk about is a viable option if the Raptors are trading Brown to grant a team short or long-term salary relief/turning dead salary into a rotation player. The Mavericks did this very same thing last year when they dumped Davis Bertan contract on to the Thunder while still acquiring the player they originally wanted in Dereck Lively II. Granted, they only dropped from 10th to 12th but I digress.
Going in to the middle of the lottery from 19 is a significantly higher jump to make. The Jazz do have an interesting 2nd coming their way via the Wizards and no shortage of future picks from the Timberwolves and the Cavaliers though how heavily protected one of them would be were the Jazz to part ways with said pick, and whether the Raptors would be willing to trade out of this draft's 1st round should they lose their own pick to the Spurs (roughly a 55% chance to occur) is up in the air.
It is worth mentioning that if the Raptors keep their pick at 4 or 6 and expect the player we want to draft in that range to still be on the board by 8th, then perhaps an 6 + Brown for 8 + Collins + a future first from the Wolves/Cavs might be an option. Otherwise, it's hard to see the Raptors moving up in the first round for this draft via a trade with Utah.
It should also be noted that there is a possibility the Jazz lose their pick to the Thunder, as it's 8th pre-lottery with a Top 10 protection. If it drops to 11 then it will convey to OKC.
There's one other reason why a trade with Utah is less likely: Recency. Teams rarely make trades with the same partner in what is effectively the same season and the Jazz have done just that via the frequently mentioned Ochai/Olynyk trade.. Exceptions exist but the fact that the two already did so does make it much less likely that they'll be trade partners in the upcoming draft.
Then again, sometimes trades that died in the offseason or deadline use the previously declined deal as a framework for a deal that does end up happening; the Lakers and Pelicans re-engaged trade talks after failing to acquire Anthony Davis in 2019. Lo and behold, New Orleans traded away the All-NBA big man for a haul and a half that the Lakers are still on the hook for - and they might still be if the Pelicans defer their owed Lakers pick to 2025.
Speaking of teams with prior trade talks to Toronto...

Atlanta Hawks

https://preview.redd.it/t4ki5qlhkrzc1.png?width=720&format=png&auto=webp&s=e17febaa7a100d69c6155daacab6324b9e528b14
Most likely player(s): De'Andre Hunter
2023/24 Stats: 15.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists 45.9% FG\38.5% 3P\84.7% FT
Incoming salary: $21.7 million (Net of -$1.3 million for the 1st year)
Pick(s) available: 10th pick in 2024 draft, 2025 Kings 1st
Entering a cap crunch with Okongwu's extension kicking in alongside Dejounte Murray, Atlanta is already poised to make some significant changes in the offseason, with De'Andre Hunter and his overall stagnation, in conjunction with Jalen Johnson's rise despite an overall poor season for the Hawks, being a major turning point for the franchise.
I've talked about Hunter before when the Hawks were heavily rumored to be offering him and draft capital for Pascal Siakam. Not Kobe Bufkin, who was off-limits per the reports but I digress. If you want the long version of what was said about De'Andre then you can give it a read here. The short version? Hunter came in to the 2023/24 season with the reputation of being an average starter on an okay, albeit slightly overpaid given current production, contract and thus he seemed like potential insurance in the off-chance O.G. Anunoby left or someone to flip to another team.
Lo and behold, the Raptors eliminated that possibility of him walking by trading O.G. in the thus far Quickley/Barrett 1-2 punch knockout of a trade, leaving the team with newfound optimism - and a massive hole in their wing/forward rotation so Hunter seems like a perfect buy-low candidate, right?
Well, let's talk about how bad of a season Hunter had and why he left the 2023/24 season with the reputation of having the worst contract on the Hawks roster. Whatever else you can say about Collins, he's off the books in 2026, 2025 if he declines his player option. Hunter is there until 2027 with no chances of an inflated ego causing him to enter early in to free agency.
To start, part of the reason that the reception for Hunter's extension was so mixed was a lack of progress on either end of the floor since the 2022 playoff series between the Hawks and the Heat that earned him so significant a payday. In it, De'Andre flashed signs of the two-way wing he could be; he shot 46% on 5 3s a game and played solid defense throughout the 5 game series. The Kawhi comparisons were overblown but reaching the level of, say, a Mikal Bridges where they're a solid connecting piece who can start on a playoff team seemed like a viable outcome.
https://preview.redd.it/2yoju8djkrzc1.png?width=1580&format=png&auto=webp&s=17c826cf2678dde05d30a7a7af13dce3c79cc292
This version of Hunter has not appeared since. How much one wants to blame injury on his lack of progress - he's missed a lot of games due to various injuries - the fact of the matter is his limited offensive game hasn't developed whatsoever, his defensive effort lacks consistency and worst of all, his 2023 offseason revealed that he "hadn't worked on anything".
Admittedly that last one was him trying to joke but it was a joke that reflected the altogether underwhelming tenure that was their latest season where, yet again, Hunter failed to show any signs of improvement while the far less experienced Jalen Johnson flourished. He's the Deandre Ayton of wings; a physically gifted player physically but with a low motor to improve their game or in general play with a consistent level of energy. A change of scenery can do wonders for a player but unlike the aforementioned Ayton, Hunter's ceiling is significantly lower and with an extra year on his contract that makes them similarly expensive for a pseudo starter like Hunter.
Whereas Lonzo is more or less filler to make the deal work and John Collins is an actual NBA player on a bad deal, Hunter is decidedly more frustrating. They're a positional fit on paper but in execution, they're a quietly poor contract for a player that has disappointed year after year. It's no exaggeration to say that De'Andre's mundane performance since his extension is a notable reason why the Hawks have struggled in recent years.
Speaking of Atlanta, the Hawks are in an odd position regarding salary relief, for two reasons.
One is that their own pick, currently 10th in the draft, might be more valued internally by the Hawks than an opportunity to rid themselves of Hunter's albatross of a contract, as this will be the last first round pick they stand to control for several years due to the disastrous Dejounte trade. While there isn't an obvious player in their range to fix their many roster issues, young talent for a team that may be contemplating trading Trae Young is young talent to keep around in this hypothetical rebuild around Jalen Johnson.
So yeah, the Hawks might not be planning to move their pick on draft night. Atlanta does have a very early 2nd from the Blazers (34th overall) and a protected pick from the Kings that has since been deferred to 2025. The protections on said pick have gone from lottery protected to Top 12 (Top 10 if it doesn't convey in 2025) so it's not as though there isn't an opportunity to acquire future draft capital and that second could make for an interesting option to trade out in to the 2nd round of next year's trade as Toronto lacks any picks for the 2025 draft if their own defers.
Depending on what Sacramento does - or doesn't do - and with the West being the bloodbath it was this season, it might be preferable to bet against Sacramento for reasons we'll cover in Part 2 (Spoilers: It'll be framed around Huerter who's been terrible ever since the Kings playoff appearance) though by that same logic, the Hawks may prefer holding on to that first-rounder due its potential value in the 2025 draft though how much better next year's draft will be outside of the top-end talent is too early to say.
The other factor is that while they are an over-the-tax team looking at the luxury tax in the 2025 season with Jalen Johnson breaking out at just the right time to demand a hefty extension, Atlanta has a massive trade exception from the John Collins trade that they can also use to take on a bad contract or potentially make use of the Kings 2025 1st they own to bring in more help around Young and whomever they trade Murray for in the scenario where they try to build around Trae instead of kicking off a rebuild.
Will they do that? It's hard to say. Unlike the Bulls who should be rebuilding but are likely running it back after they find LaVine a new team, the Hawks aren't in a position to rebuild due to the Spurs having their picks/pick control for the next few years so they aren't incentivized to be a bad team. Most of the time, trade exceptions don't get used (See: The massive trade exception the Raptors generated for sign and trading Chris Bosh) so it wouldn't be a surprise if that same thing happens to the Collins expectation.
On the other hand, it's equally difficult to see them getting a player good enough to lift them out of the ditch they're stuck in - for those wondering Bruce Brown's exception does fit in neatly for said exception and a HunteBrown trade would create a new trade exception for Atlanta - and thus avenues for trading what few assets Atlanta may be willing to part with become a lot less appealing.
That getting rid of Hunter's contract by moving down a few spots in the lottery is seen as a positive outcome for their draft day moves should speak volumes about how unenviable a position the Hawks are in. Little room for internal improvement and even less options to retool their roster, low optimism due to a potential cap crunch and no pick control until 2028.
But hey, it was worth keeping Kobe Bufkin over trading him for Siakam, right Atlanta?

Conclusion

For those that want a TL;DR for the first 3 teams, see the below chart:

Team	Player(s)	Years left on contract	Pick(s) [Assuming position stays if in the lottery]	Incoming salary (2024)	Net salary added to the Raptors (2024)
Chicago Bulls	Lonzo Ball	1; player option in 2024/25	11th, 2025 Blazers 1st	$21.3 million	-1.6$ million
Atlanta Hawks	De'Andre Hunter	3	10th, 2025 Kings 1st	$21.7 million	-$1.3 million
Utah Jazz	John Collins	2; player option in 2025/26	8th (Only an option if we keep our 1st), 2025 Timberwolves/Cavaliers 1st	$26.6 million	+$3.6 million

There are more teams to talk about that we'll add to the chart but I think it's best to wait and see who lands where in the lottery - and whether we'll keep our pick or not - before we continue.
That's all for now. Until next time, game on my friends.