4 players the Rockets should target from the Raptors' fire sale

3. Bruce Brown

Bruce Brown is different from the others on this list for a few reasons. For starters, he hasn't been a long-time Raptor, as he was a throw-in in the Pascal Siakam deal. Brown won a championship with the Denver Nuggets last season and capitalized on a hot market, landing an annual salary of $22.5 million with the Indiana Pacers (two years/$45 million).

Not bad for someone who made just $15 million through the first five years of his career.

The Raptors insisted on Brown being included in the trade with Indy so they could use him solely for trade purposes, as explained by Marc Stein on the thisleague UNCUT podcast. 

"They knew that if they got Bruce Brown with three weeks to go before the trade deadline, which is basically when they acquired him, they knew that they could potentially trade Bruce Brown on his own and potentially recoup further assets."

Brown is also different from the others on this list because of the high demand for his services around the league, which Stein explained as the basis for the Raptors' high asking price.

"The Raptors are telling teams they want at least a first-round pick and a quality player in exchange for Bruce Brown. What is motivating the Raptors to pursue that kind of asking price is their belief that multiple contenders want Bruce Brown."

Stein's co-host Chris Haynes added color to that report. 

"The Raptors are receiving an abnormal amount of calls regarding BB. Some teams feel like he's the difference maker."

Brown is gritty and hard-nosed on defense. He brings his lunch pail every possession of every game and has an established relationship with Rockets coach Ime Udoka, dating back to Udoka's days on Steve Nash's coaching staff on the Brooklyn Nets. 

Brown is also averaging 11.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 48.1 percent from the field, and 32.4 percent from long-range. But considering the high demand for Brown, who is believed to have interest from the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, and Denver Nuggets, to name a few, he may be more of a pipe dream for the Rockets.