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Authored by Andrew Perna - 8th July, 2008 - 9:54 pm
This deal has been “official” for quite some time, but the trade finally becomes recognized by the NBA as the league’s moratorium on transactions has ended.
As I’m sure you know, the Indiana Pacers have sent Jermaine O’Neal and the 41st pick (Nathan Jawai) to the Toronto Raptors for T.J. Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, Maceo Baston, and the 17th selection (Roy Hibbert).
The Pacers are using the deal to signify a new era in Indianapolis while also bringing a new point guard into town. Meanwhile, the Raptors believe that the combination of Chris Bosh and O’Neal will provide them with the best frontcourt duo in the game today.
Let’s take a look at the Indiana side of things first.
The Pacers receive Ford, Nesterovic, Baston, and rights to Hibbert
On the business end of things, Larry Bird and David Morway have saved themselves a considerable amount of money by getting rid of the $44 million O’Neal is owed over the next two seasons.
Nesterovic and Baston are entering the final years of their contracts, meaning that more than $10 million will come off the books next summer. Indiana could have kept O’Neal until his contract expired, giving them nearly $23 million of relief in the heralded summer of 2010, but they needed space as soon as possible.
Ford will be welcomed with open arms in Indianapolis as the Pacers work hard to rid themselves of Jamaal Tinsley this summer.
T.J. is better suited for Jim O’Brien’s offense and makes just a tad more than Tinsley does currently. His presence also makes Jamaal expendable as it appears as though Indiana is prepared to buy out his contract if they can’t identify a trading partner for the New York native.
Adding the #17 pick gave the Pacers a pair of top-twenty selections in June’s draft, allowing them to get much-needed help on the perimeter and in the paint.
Hibbert has a very polished offensive game around the rim, something the Pacers haven’t had in a center since Rik Smits was on the court rather than riding dirt bikes. With that said, Hibbert is more of a traditional center, sticking around the basket, while Smits possessed enough range to step out a hit a mid-range jumper with relative ease.
The Pacers didn’t get a tremendous amount of star-power in exchange for O’Neal, but they used the deal to fill a trio of needs. They are better off now financially at point guard and at center than they were just a few weeks ago.
Grade For Indiana: B+
The Raptors receive O’Neal and rights to Jawai
Bryan Colangelo solved a pair of problems by agreeing to this deal, giving Bosh help in the paint and assuring Jose Calderon that he is the man at the point in Toronto.
Getting rid of Ford gave Calderon the confidence to know he can safely sign a new contract without worrying about who will be the starter. He even claimed he agreed to terms on a new deal with the Raptors just days after O’Neal confirmed that the trade between these two teams was going to happen.
The Raps really didn’t give up anything vital in this deal despite getting a six-time All-Star in return.
Baston hardly played this past season, and Toronto is young enough to forgo adding another youthful stud (who is ready to play right away) through this year’s draft.
Nesterovic played well last season, but O’Neal is a great upgrade in the post. Bosh and O’Neal are both natural power forwards, but they should be able to mix-and-match nicely in the paint as teammates.
That combination is easily the best in the East, something that would have helped the Raptors when battling the Magic and Dwight Howard in the first round of this year’s playoffs. O’Neal is stronger than Bosh and will probably play more center than the career-long Toronto resident.
At this point in their respective careers, O’Neal is the better rebounder and defender while Bosh is the better scorer. With that said, they at times can look very similar on the court. That will either be a blessing or a determent for the Raps this season.
A fresh start in a new city could be all O’Neal needs to resurrect his career, but Toronto will be at the mercy of the salary cap next summer thanks to the contracts of Bosh, O’Neal, and the rumored deal of Calderon.
Assuming Calderon will be paid roughly $8 or $9 million over the first two years of his new contract, Toronto will have between $43 and $46 million tied up just to pay Jose, Chris, and Jermaine in both the 2009 and 2010 seasons.
That’s difficult to digest especially when the cap for this past season was set at roughly $55.6 million. Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment (the team’s ownership group) better be prepared to pay some luxury tax just to field enough players for a full roster.
Toronto will have a very talented frontcourt trio this coming season with Andrea Bargnani alongside Bosh and O’Neal, but the former number one overall pick may not last too long as his rookie contract dwindles.
Barring any unforeseen moves, the Raptors look like they are hoping to win sooner rather than later. However, even if the O’Neal experiment doesn’t work, they’ll be able to wipe his bloated contract off the books after the 2009-10 season and look in another direction rather quickly.
Grade for Toronto: B-
In the end this deal looks beneficial to both teams as needs are filled in Toronto and Indiana. The only reason I gave the Pacers a better grade in this trade is the amount of money they saved and the cap issues that the Raptors could face.
Andrew Perna is a Senior Writer for RealGM. Feel free to e-mail him with comments or questions regarding this or any piece – Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com. |
