Wilson Chandler to Toronto? Forget about it (473)

[ceez]

Imagine what a lineup of

PG
Chandler
JJ
Ed
JV

..would do defensively? With Chandler and JV there even might be some scoring!

[ceez]

Wouldn't surprise me if Beal went top 5 at all. He's a legit talent and the dearth of elite 2's these days makes the demand that more substantial.

[CalgaryRapsFan]

I think adding Chandler, and keeping JJ and Kleiza - would likely mean the Raps don't take a SF in the draft.

You never know, but with all the depth that would give at the 3-4-5 ... you would think a draft pick would be focused on PG/SG.

If the Raptors still targeted a SF in the draft, I'd assume that either JJ/Kleiza would have to go. My personal preference would be to keep Kleiza, as I think he is more natural PF than JJ, plus he would be good for helping JV make the transition.

I don't see the Raptors targeting a PG in the draft, at least not with their lottery pick. In the scenario I laid out, they'd still have Bayless, Amir/Davis and possibly JJ/Kleiza as assets to acquire additional draft pick(s), to target a PG outside the lottery, to backup Calderon. I personally like this strategy, regardless of whether or not they land WC.

I could see the Raptors targeting a SG in the draft (Beal/Lamb), if they pick in the 6-10 range. Another scenario could be for them to get a high pick, then trade down to take a SG, while also picking up another asset in the trade.

Acquiring WC for essentially just Barbosa (in my scenario), suddenly gives BC even more assets to possibly throw us all for a loop to make a big trade. If the Raptors packaged DeRozan, Amir/Davis, JJ/Kleiza/1st round pick, who knows what they could get... Gay? Regardless, lots of options for the Raptors, which just expand by turning Barbosa into WC, IMO...

[ceez]

Kleiza and JJ both are at their best when playing the 4. If chandler somehow does sign and we draft a 3 I wouldn't look to either of them being moved. Moreso Amir or Ed. You know how BC likes his players to be versatile.

[CalgaryRapsFan]

Kleiza and JJ both are at their best when playing the 4. If chandler somehow does sign and we draft a 3 I wouldn't look to either of them being moved. Moreso Amir or Ed. You know how BC likes his players to be versatile.

I completely agree. But even assuming either Amir/Davis is traded, that still leaves Bargnani, Davis/Amir, Kleiza and JJ to play PF. It works well with just Kleiza & JJ playing SF, but adding another SF would give you 5 players for 4 spots - whether that is WC or a draft pick (Barnes/MKG).

[ceez]

That's true enough. Anyways, it's looking like WC just wanted to try and gain leverage with Denver and basically failed. Sigh.

[WJF]

Kleiza and JJ both are at their best when playing the 4. If chandler somehow does sign and we draft a 3 I wouldn't look to either of them being moved. Moreso Amir or Ed. You know how BC likes his players to be versatile.

I would not go as far to say they are both at their bast when playing the 4. I think that Linas does a good job exploiting mismatches at the 3 and 4 spots. He posts up smaller forwards and drags bigger forwards to the perimeter. While James does not have the post-up game that Kleiza does, he does do similar things. In 11 starts in February Johnson is putting up 10 ppg,, with 4.6 rpg, 2 assist, 1.3 steals and 1.2 blocks, while some of his 26.5 minutes per game have come at the 4 spot, the majority have been at the 3.

[ReubenJRD]

I would not go as far to say they are both at their bast when playing the 4. I think that Linas does a good job exploiting mismatches at the 3 and 4 spots. He posts up smaller forwards and drags bigger forwards to the perimeter. While James does not have the post-up game that Kleiza does, he does do similar things. In 11 starts in February Johnson is putting up 10 ppg,, with 4.6 rpg, 2 assist, 1.3 steals and 1.2 blocks, while some of his 26.5 minutes per game have come at the 4 spot, the majority have been at the 3.

If we can keep both, do it. Kleiza has been great for us. Like WJF wrote it's basically been about mismatches, he just does so much for this team.
James Johnson is an all-around forward, I love his defense, he's not a defensive stopper, but it's enough to disrupt the offense of another and blocks shots, creates turnovers. Lot's of positives, plus his decisions have just become so much better.

PG- Jose, Bayless
SG - Demar, WC
SF - Barnes/MKG, Kleiza, James Johnson, Forbes
PF - Bargnani, Ed/Amir, Kleiza, James Johnson
C - Valanciunas, Gray, Magloire

But if we had to choose, it would James Johnson to keep. Still very young, and has much more to come in the future for him. We will miss the mismatches, toughness, and the kind of x factor that Kleiza brings. But JJ can become that type of player.

[CalgaryRapsFan]

If we can keep both, do it. Kleiza has been great for us. Like WJF wrote it's basically been about mismatches, he just does so much for this team.
James Johnson is an all-around forward, I love his defense, he's not a defensive stopper, but it's enough to disrupt the offense of another and blocks shots, creates turnovers. Lot's of positives, plus his decisions have just become so much better.

PG- Jose, Bayless
SG - Demar, WC
SF - Barnes/MKG, Kleiza, James Johnson, Forbes
PF - Bargnani, Ed/Amir, Kleiza, James Johnson
C - Valanciunas, Gray, Magloire

But if we had to choose, it would James Johnson to keep. Still very young, and has much more to come in the future for him. We will miss the mismatches, toughness, and the kind of x factor that Kleiza brings. But JJ can become that type of player.

If the Raptors were to get both WC and Barnes/MKG, I question if JJ's defense would still be needed. They'd have Bargnani & Davis/Amir at PF and WC & Barnes/MKG at SF. In that lineup, I think I'd rather have Kleiza's offense (especially 3-pt shooting) as the 3rd option at both PF & SF, rather than JJ.

For me, it's all about having a balanced lineup; right now the Raptors desperately need JJ's D, but with a significantly improved overall team D (bringing in Valanciunas, WC and Barnes/MKG would definitely do that), I think JJ's value to the team would be greatly diminished. I'd rather balance all that defense with Kleiza's streaky shooting and mismatch opportunities at both PF & SF.

PF: Bargnani, Davis/Amir, Kleiza
SF: Chandler, Barnes/MKG, Kleiza

[mcHAPPY]

Wilson saying all the right things

Adriana Galimberti Adriana Galimberti @Gal_Adri
Just ran into Wilson Chandler in the book store at Pearson Airport. I asked him if he's gonna be a Raptor anytime soon lol

Adriana Galimberti @Gal_Adri
Chandler said he doesn't know if he's going to be a Raptor, but he hopes so.
Retweeted by Ryan Wolstat

cool

[ReubenJRD]

If the Raptors were to get both WC and Barnes/MKG, I question if JJ's defense would still be needed. They'd have Bargnani & Davis/Amir at PF and WC & Barnes/MKG at SF. In that lineup, I think I'd rather have Kleiza's offense (especially 3-pt shooting) as the 3rd option at both PF & SF, rather than JJ.

For me, it's all about having a balanced lineup; right now the Raptors desperately need JJ's D, but with a significantly improved overall team D (bringing in Valanciunas, WC and Barnes/MKG would definitely do that), I think JJ's value to the team would be greatly diminished. I'd rather balance all that defense with Kleiza's streaky shooting and mismatch opportunities at both PF & SF.

They improve defensively of course, but MKG/Barnes are guys that'll score, Jose can score, Demar can most definitely score, along with Bargnani. Off the bench? Wilson Chandler, Amir/Ed will get you extra possessions, Bayless is a scoring guard.

Looking at that lineup WITHOUT Kleiza, it's already fairly balanced. Plus the fact Dwane Casey praises JJ's defense.

James Johnson is a slasher, and his shot will only get better, along with his very good defense. But I most definitely see what you mean, but as far as potential goes and what Dwane Casey's system begs on, JJ would be that guy that can just fit it. Don't get me wrong, I love Kleiza, it's just if we had to let go of one, it would be him for me.

[CalgaryRapsFan]

Memo to BC, re: 3 steps to acquire Chandler

1. Trade Barbosa and take no salary back. Was hoping for late 1st round pick, but the league now knows why he needs to be traded ASAP, so settle for a 2nd round pick. $7.6M more cap space freed up, giving you $11.9M cap space total.

2. Trade for Andersen from Denver. This is the "you scratch his back" portion of the "Chandler S&T that isn't really a S&T" deal. By taking on Andersen's salary, he lets you sign Chandler this year, before more teams have cap space to start an all-out bidding war in the offseason. $4.3M cap space used up, giving you $7.6 cap space total.

3. Sign Chandler to a contract. 4 years / $24-28M sounds about right.

[CalgaryRapsFan]

They improve defensively of course, but MKG/Barnes are guys that'll score, Jose can score, Demar can most definitely score, along with Bargnani. Off the bench? Wilson Chandler, Amir/Ed will get you extra possessions, Bayless is a scoring guard.

Looking at that lineup WITHOUT Kleiza, it's already fairly balanced. Plus the fact Dwane Casey praises JJ's defense.

James Johnson is a slasher, and his shot will only get better, along with his very good defense. But I most definitely see what you mean, but as far as potential goes and what Dwane Casey's system begs on, JJ would be that guy that can just fit it. Don't get me wrong, I love Kleiza, it's just if we had to let go of one, it would be him for me.

We're arguing over 3rd string PF/SF. If we get to the point when we actually need to have this argument, I think we'll both be happy!

[ReubenJRD]

We're arguing over 3rd string PF/SF. If we get to the point when we actually need to have this argument, I think we'll both be happy!

Hahahahaha agreed.

[saints91]

I think we should keep Barbosa for the trade deadline. I would try moving Bayless, and another lower payed player to a team with a TPE (seperate transactions). I think Chandler will not get match if we sign him for 8-9 mil. I'm sure that there are some teams in the West that would facilitate a trade like that. Denver is the 9th seed right now, and I'm sure some teams want to keep it that way.