Bargnani tore some ligaments in his right elbow and has been out of action since Dec. 11. The word is that the injury did not require surgery and that an extensive rehab was all that would be required to get Bargnani back. The problem with that concept is Bargnani isn’t exactly the hardest worker in the league and the expected window of sometime in January seems more like late January or early February. League sources say it would be almost impossible to move Bargnani and the three years and $32.25 million remaining on his deal until he returns and proves the elbow isn’t going to be a problem. It is clear that Toronto will explore moving Bargnani once he returns to action, and the hope is that return is sometime in early February so teams can get a good look at Bargnani before the February 21st NBA trade deadline. The Raptors want to dump the salary associated with Bargnani and are not seeking much in return for Bargs. Sources close to the Raptors say they have several players they would consider taking on – a shopping list of sorts – and most of them are players radically out of Toronto’s reach unless other assets are packed in. The Raptors have been linked to Lakers big man Pau Gasol, Milwaukee’s Ersan Ilyasova, and Denver’s Wilson Chandler; however, Raptors sources warn taking on a ton of long-term salary is not what they are looking for in a deal unless it’s exactly the right player.
Read more at http://www.hoopsworld.com/nba-am-few...pfxjcdb6EBe.99
Read more at http://www.hoopsworld.com/nba-am-few...pfxjcdb6EBe.99
1. "League sources say it would be almost impossible to move Bargnani and the three years and $32.25 million remaining on his deal until he returns and proves the elbow isn’t going to be a problem." This will seriously be a problem if Bargnani doesn't come to play well at all by the February 21 trade deadline. It shows that his elbow is a legitimate issue and will seriously lower his trade value even further (as if it wasn't low enough to begin with).
2. "(The Raptors) are not seeking much in return for Bargs." This concerns me personally. I'm pretty sure all of you just want Bargnani gone period, but I personally don't want BC to trade him just for the sake of trading him or to save his career as the Raptors GM. I want at least something that is of value to the team for him (picks, young players, energy/hustle players, and/or players that will provide some spark off the bench). I don't want more scrubby players. If I were BC, I would seriously consider going strongly after Granger since he's like the only true star SF we can get with Bargnani/Calderon. Both Barg and Granger's trade value are at an all time low since they're both plagued by injury while Calderon's trade value is at an all-time high. Though I do agree that Granger is a gamble due to his knee issues, but surely he'll still play way better than Bargnani ever played this year, right?
3. "Raptors sources warn taking on a ton of long-term salary is not what they are looking for in a deal unless it’s exactly the right player." I don't think this is the right approach to go by. I understand why, but I would seriously consider taking on long-term salary for a high draft pick in this year's draft (yes it's 2013 already ). For example, a trade that has been going on RR for a while now, Bargs for Okafor and the Wizard's 2013 first round draft pick. I think these are trades that we should seriously consider and not just immediately throw out the window.
Just some of my thoughts on the article I just read. Any other thoughts or opinions on the situation? Any disagreements on my opinion is welcomed!
Comment