Trade delayed for the Raptors – Bargnani is not a Knick yet!

The mega-trade that would send Andrea Bargnani from the Toronto Raptors to the New York Knicks has been held up. Al Dannity looks at the impact this move will have if the Raptors finally get to pull the trigger.

If you told a Raps fan a few years that they’d have two of the top picks from a single draft on their roster, they’d think Toronto had a title contender. Unfortunately one of those is the former top overall pick Andrea Bargnani. For a fan-base aware that Euro stereotypes are false, see Jose Calderon and Jonas Valanciunas, they have been forced to suffer through a man who embodies all of them. There’s no question that Bargs has talent but the sheer lack of fight in his game has made him an expensive liability for the franchise.

The Knicks offered Marcus Camby, a solid back-up big with an expiring contract, Steve Novak, a sixth man, and two draft picks including a first rounder that comes heavily protected. There’s a reasonable chance that the protection, which is in the Nuggets’ hands, won’t be enforced next year. Denver’s brain trust of Masai Uijiri and George Karl orchestrated that deal and the former is now pulling the strings in Toronto. Assuming Denver doesn’t fall off the map and remains in the low 20s range next year, they may choose to hold onto the pick until 2015.

Toronto fans have been burned before when it comes to transactions being cancelled. Tyson Chandler and Matt Barnes both had moves north wiped out by the NBA. It’s harder to see this move suffering the same fate. While the NBA has put a hold on it for now, the word is that both sides are keen to make it work. Toronto may have to give up another asset or, in my view more likely, reduce the number of draft picks they acquire. For both sides the cap implications make sense with regards to their long-term plans. I’ve seen reporters saying the Knicks are getting fleeced and others saying the Raps are giving up Bargs for nothing. Bargnani could still develop into a useful player in the league but not in Toronto. New York could be a place where he can make a fresh start. Losing Bargnani’s cap is enough reason to dump him. To me that’s a win for Toronto. Remember this is a player who played just 35 games last year and shot 40 per cent from the field. This isn’t a franchise saviour.