NBA Trade Rumors 2013: Ben Gordon a Possible Trade Target for the Raptors?

Now that the Carlos Boozer for Andrea Bargnani rumors are pretty much dead, new Bargnani trade rumors are sprouting up everywhere. First it was with the Philadelphia 76ers, and now, the Charlotte Bobcats have thrown their name into the hat as a possible suitor.

ESPN's Marc Stein is reporting the Charlotte Bobcats are feverishly looking to move combo guard Ben Gordon before the trade deadline, and Toronto has popped up as a possible suitor for the Raptors.

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All-Star Weekend trade rumble: Charlotte's growing determination to move Ben Gordon has presented Toronto w/another Andrea Bargnani suitor

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) February 16, 2013"

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Sense I get, though, is that Toronto ain't gonna bite on Bargs-for-Gordon deal. Raps have Terrence Ross & Alan Anderson playing well there

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) February 16, 2013"

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Gordon easier to take back $-wise than Boozer w/one less year on deal, but Raps unlikely to just trade ex-No. 1 overall pick for sake of it

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) February 16, 2013"

I do agree with Stein here—Gordon's contract is much easier to swallow over, say, Carlos Boozer's contract. However, Stein does bring up a good point. What becomes of the backcourt if Gordon is acquired?

With rookie standout Terrence Ross and Alan Anderson already manning the 2-guard position along with star DeMar DeRozan, there really is no spot for Gordon.

That's where my thought of a three- or four-way trade might surface for the Raptors to eventually get that post-scoring big man they so desire.

Right now, the Raptors taking Gordon really doesn't make much sense other than he's another guy who can create his own shot and can take a little pressure off Rudy Gay.

But with some of the positives comes some serious negatives. His lack of size is an immediate negative, as the 6'3" shooting guard is still undersized for the position. His locker-room presence may be an issue as well, as he has had some run-ins with Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap as well as former coaches Scott Skiles and Vinny Del Negro back in his Chicago days.

With plenty of questionable coaching plays by Dwane Casey, you could only imagine what Gordon would say in the locker room, or much worse, to the media.

Gordon at a much cheaper salary might make sense for the Raptors, but at over $13 million for the next two seasons, having that much money tied up on a bench player makes almost as much sense as paying $7 million to Landry Fields.

A trade that probably makes a little more sense could be a three-way deal. Here are some of the specifics.

Toronto Trades: Andrea Bargnani, Linas Kleiza

Toronto Receives: Emeka Okafor, Chris Singleton

Charlotte Trades: Ben Gordon, DeSagna Diop

Charlotte Receives: Andrea Bargnani, Jordan Crawford, Linas Kleiza

Washington Trades: Emeka Okafor, Chris Singleton

Washington Receives: Ben Gordon, DeSagna Diop

Toronto Lineup

Lowry/Lucas

DeRozan/Ross

Gay/Anderson/Singleton

Amir/Fields/Acy

Valanciunas/Okafor/Gray

Charlotte Lineup

Walker/Sessions

Henderson/Crawford/Williams

Kidd-Gilchrist/Taylor/Kleiza

Bargnani/Thomas/Warrick

Haywood/Mullens

Washington Lineup

Wall/Price

Beal/Gordon

Ariza/Webster

Seraphin/Booker/Vesely

Nene/Diop

Toronto gives this a shot because Okafor's contract expires after next season, but he provides the Raptors with a powerful blocking and rebounding force in the middle. Singleton provides some toughness and can play the small forward and power forward positions.

Charlotte, a team starving for scoring, probably does this deal to upgrade their scoring. Although they do take on contracts, they are not terrible contracts and easily moveable in the offseason.

Washington does this to simply shed $7.5 million off its cap and continue to rebuild going forward, building around guys like Brad Beal, John Wall, Nene and Kevin Seraphin.

This is only one trade proposal out of what I believe could be hundreds already offered to their respective GM's.

Bryan Colangelo, GM of the Raptors, though, must do one thing—get value for Bargnani at the deadline or just keep him. If he can't get the value Bargnani is worth, I demand he keeps him and tries to move him in the offseason or at the NBA Draft.

If he does move though, expect it to be for a big man or at least a backup power forward/center. A move like Luke Ridnour and Derrick Williams for Bargnani is still the best trade for the Raptors. A package similar to that will allow the Raptors to finally rid themselves of Il Mago.