It's good to see teams get to making moves this offseason. The Celtics and Lakers proved what a huge and immediate impact one good (or dirty) trade can have on your team, so why not see what you can get?
ESPN reports that the Raptors are sending T.J Ford, Rasho Nesterovich and the 17th pick in this year's draft to Indiana for Jermain O'Neal. There will have to be another player or two moved to make the contracts match up, but this is the essence of the deal.
I like this trade, but I'd like it more if I was confident that O'Neal will be healthy. Obviously Toronto has chosen Jose Calderon over Ford, so moving him isn't that big of a deal for them. But a frontline of Bosh and healthy Jermaine is highly impressive, especially in the east.
The Pacers get a good point guard (Ford is great when healthy) to replace Jamaal Tinsley, and ship someone who's essentially worn out his welcome in Indiana. Jermaine is owed $21 and $23 million over the next two seasons, and if he's not healthy, that's money burned. Ford racked up a few double-digit assists games for the Raptors early in the season before he got hurt.
Of course, that leaves Jeff Foster, Ike Diogu and David Harrison manning your frontcourt, so the Pacers may want to make another trade or draft accordingly to shore that up.
It's apparent that the key cog for this trade is health. A healthy Ford and O'Neal makes this trade a good one for both teams. Otherwise, one team or the other or both are getting the short end of the stick in the long run.
1 comment:
I think that trade was a rip-off. But I am happy for the Raptors!
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