Bruce Brown, Toronto Raptors
A couple of years ago, Bruce Brown was one of the bigger names to hit the free agency market. However, in the two years since then, the hype surrounding Brown's name has certainly dwindled. Even though he hasn't been talked about much as a trade candidate heading into the deadline, I do imagine there are teams that are going to make a call to Toronto to gauge his availability. And as an expiring contract after this season, it would be borderline foolish for the Raptors to not entertain the option of trading him.
Any playoff-hopeful team or championship contender looking for some depth on the wing should look in the direction of Brown. Even though he is coming off injury, he has shown some positive signs in the few games he's played so far this season for the Toronto Raptors. The biggest question for me regarding Brown revolves around whether the Raptors are going to strongly explore the option of trading him before the deadline. If recent history is any indication, the Raptors' front office is not one that can be easily predicted.
Why Bruce Brown could be a trade deadline game changer: Watching Bruce Brown since he left the Denver Nuggets, this is a completely fair question to ask. This is exactly that idea of how being "out of sight out of mind" can have an impact on a player. But we must remember that Brown is still a pretty young player at 28 years old and probably still has to be considered in his prime. He hasn't played for a playoff contender recently and you'd have to imagine that if given the opportunity, he could certainly make his presence felt once again.
Back when he was with the Nuggets, he was one of the team's most important players during their championship run. If he can find himself back in a similar type of role, there's reason to believe that he can get to a point where he becomes an absolute game-changer for a team down the stretch. Of course, the question is, will he find the right opportunity where he can get back to that level again? That remains to be seen. But in the final year of his contract, it does seem as if all the signs do point to that possibility.