The CB4 farewell tour — Colangelo mulls sign-and-trade (again)

Bryan Colangelo, you sound like a man who's trying to make a commitment to a course of action, although this is hardly new.

"... I have to reiterate the point that keeps being overlooked - we're the only team that can offer him a full six years versus five years, 10.5% increases versus 8% increases ... Basically equates to a $30-million dollar difference. So, even if he wants to leave, he's still better served, and we're better served if he works a sign-and-trade with us where we can get some sort of an asset back from the team that he's going to. And, I think that's probably the thing that we'll both push for because he'll benefit from it and we'll benefit from it, and that's why it's probably not time to panic now and make a bad deal." — Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo, on the FAN 590 today

Your question about why this has not been reflected in most of the coverage about is as good as any. Sign-and-trade deals are not quite as commonplace as they once were, partially since they did not to send sit well with the media or fans. It seemed too much like meek capitulation. The team getting Bosh would have to give up an awful lot, so hey, maybe this is not so bad.


The most prominent sign-and-trade in recent years came in 2007 when Rashard Lewis went from the Seattle SuperSonics, who don't exist anymore, to the Orlando Magic, whom he helped lead to the NBA Finals.


Again, to be blunt, expertise about how player moves work in the NBA is not our forte. The best that can be offered is that it's was already time to brace for BWOB (Basketball Without Bosh) and try to figure out what can be gleaned from the situation. Jay Triano, Colangelo and Maurizio Gherardini would like to play an up-tempo style, but they need personnel who can make it work. There should be no fear about Bosh leaving ... there is plenty out there. Just from doing a quick surf around the series of tubes, possible trading partners would include Atlanta (how about Marvin Williams at small forward, how does that sound?). The Phoenix Suns power forward and Amare' Stoudemire and shooting guard Leandro Barbosa are about to get shopped around (oh, to be a fly on the wall when Barbosa and Leo Rautins meet up, since the analyst and national team's coach son, Andy, hurt his knee while defending Barbosa in the FIBA Americas Olympic qualifier in 2007). The Portland Trail Blazers could take on Bosh, and they're deep.

Anyway, no sense in denying Bosh could leave.

Related:
Raptors to sign-and-trade Bosh? (Truth & Rumors, via Andrew Bucholtz's Twitter)