Another Colangelo Sign and Trade: Bosh (and Calderon?) For Lee

I read yet another CB4 trade rumour recently, but before getting out the barf bag, I stopped to think about the merits of the proposed deal.  It was simply stated as Chris Bosh for David Lee in a sign-and-trade.  I will add a few players in my own wild trade fantasy later on in the article (teaser in the title), but this sounds eerily similar to a deal Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo made last offseason.  That deal brought in Hedo Turkoglu from Orlando and shipped Shawn Marion to Dallas in a three-team sign-and-trade swap.  While it appears that deal has not panned out ideally for Toronto, another summer blockbuster may be just around the corner for Mr. Colangelo involving just two teams this time; Toronto and New York.  Hopefully this time some better results.

While many diehard Raptors fans will hate to see the "franchise" Chris Bosh moved, I would argue that comparing Bosh and Lee is like comparing apples to apples.  I think all NBA analysts would agree that while Bosh might have a better offensive game, Lee has a greater "motor" for the game.  Both players rebound and play average "D".  I do however believe Lee would fit in very well with the starting lineup of the Raptors as he demands less touches than Bosh, allowing for the continued improvement of players such as DeMar DeRozan and Andrea Bargnani.  Turkoglu has also been quoted that he doesn't mind seeing more "Ball".  On the other side of the border in New York, this deal would have them batting 0.500 for their 2010 free agent shopping spree.  While New York's dream of landing LBJ should never come true, Joe Johnson is rumoured as another piece of the puzzle.

It appears that in Toronto we have seen our backup point guard once again steal the starters spot.  Calderon was the benefactor the first time but now appears to be the loser.  Even though his play has been inspired off the bench of late, it appears he may be expendable with Jarrett Jack running the starting group.  Which leads to my insane and wacky trade proposal: Chris Bosh and Jose Calderon for David Lee, Eddy Curry, Toney Douglas, and maybe a couple of shiny 1st round draft picks would be nice as well.  While it may seem downright idiotic to take Eddy Curry in this trade, he has one year remaining on his deal after this season compared to three for Jose.  Toronto would also get one first round pick for taking Curry on, and another first rounder for giving up Bosh.  Calderon could flourish in New York as a D'Antoni style point guard while Toney Douglas gives Toronto a more affordable backup PG and a protege for Jarrett Jack.  The proposed deal seems to fit both teams needs from a basketball point of view.

For this deal to work money-wise in the current NBA CBA, Bosh would sign for approx. $3.3 million more (difference between contracts of Curry+Douglas and Calderon) in the first year of his deal than David Lee.  Bosh could maybe sign for $17.3 million in the first year of his deal on an increasing contract, with Lee signing for $14 million for his first year on a front-loaded deal.  With the current CBA set to expire after next season, I would feel a lot more comfortable with having Lee signed at an average salary of $12 million/year compared to Bosh who is bound to get a $20 million/year megadeal.  Who better to give this money to Bosh than the Knicks!  This deal could also leave the Raptors with as much as $20-30 million in salary cap space for the 2011-2012 season (the first season of the new CBA barring any lockouts) with the expiring deals of Curry, Reggie Evans, and Marcus Banks.  The deal would therefore appear to benefit the Raptors from a long-term financial perspective as well.

I am expecting some heavy disagreement from the CB4 diehards, but keep in mind that Bosh and Calderon resemble the last pieces of our former Raptors regime.  If the Raps are bounced yet again in the first round or fail to make the playoffs altogether, I would expect nothing less than for Mr. Colangelo to make this deal.  It is simply in his bold team building style to make trades of this magnitude.  In closing, I will only take some of the credit for offering the remaining pieces of this deal, as it was just fun to play GM of the Raptors for the day!

Looking forward to hearing your opinions,

Aaron J. Scott