CB4 Trade Talks

Is it just me, or does it seem like a different Chris Bosh trade rumor pops up on the internet every other day? In the past weeks, the Raptors’ All-Star forward has been talked about being traded in blogs and articles to everywhere from Chicago to Golden State to Houston. The latest rumor has CB4 heading to Tinseltown, where he would apparently be traded to the Lakers for Andrew Bynum.

Imagine this trade goes through. The Lakers would be a lock to win the title as they would start Fisher, Kobe, Artest, Bosh and Gasol with Odom coming off the bench as the 6^th man. That would easily be the best team the NBA has seen in a long time. The Raptors in return would get a legit center who is young and has a tonne of potential. Bynum could be that franchise center the Raptors have been looking for and his presence would allow Bargnani to continue not to play defense and focus solely on his offensive game. That seems like a win-win to me.

The NBA trade deadline is more than a month away, but teams are doing anything but procrastinating. Whether it’s teams trying to shed money to avoid the luxury tax or clear cap room for what could be the biggest free agent summer in NBA history or just make power moves to better their teams in the short run, GMs have been working the phone lines aggressively. Several other high profile players have also been talked about being moved recently: Al Jefferson, Caron Butler, Anthony Randolph, Carlos Boozer, Tracy McGrady, Marcus Camby, Tyrus Thomas and Amar’e Stoudemire, just to name a few.

But despite all those big names on the block, Bosh might be the most appealing out of the bunch. At just 25 years old, Bosh is having his best statistical year of his career averaging 23.9 ppg, 11.3 rpg and shooting 52.2 percent from the field (of course, being in a contract year has something to do with that). He’s starting to enter his prime and can provide a team with 20-10 stats for at least the next five or six seasons.

While Raptors nation wants to see Bosh stay up north, the reality of the situation is the team has to seriously entertain any offer that comes their way between now and Feb. 18, because there is a chance they could walk away from this situation with absolutely nothing. Since Bosh has not given Toronto a guarantee he will not opt out or he will sign an extension, the team’s front office has been preparing for life after Chris. Last summer, they extended Andrea Bargnani’s deal (who I believe the team views as their future franchise player because whenever you can build a franchise around a 7-footer that averages 16ppg, doesn’t play defense and can’t rebound you gotta do it) and signed Hedo Turkoglu to his own long-term deal (awful move and a contract that will haunt the Raptors for years to come).

With the Raptors hovering at .500 with a 19-20 record (sixth in the East), they’re not having the season they probably envisioned having heading into training camp. Even if they make the playoffs, they will likely not get past the first round. If that’s the case, the possibility that Bosh will seek greener (and warmer) pastures is high. That’s why the Raptors (they have denied shopping him) are probably willing to deal Bosh if the price is right.

The Lakers rumor, that was originally reported by the NY Post, is probably exactly just that, a rumor. With the Lakers’ already having an All-Star power forward in Pau Gasol, I can’t see them trading for Bosh for Bynum- unless they weren’t planning on trying to re-sign CB4 in order to save money. Bosh going to Chicago for possibly a Kirk Hinrich and Thomas or for Joakim Noah and John Salmons, could be a good move for Toronto (if you love getting the poo poo platter in return for a top 15 player). If they get Noah, they would have a strong rebounder to replace Bosh and allow Bargnani and Turkoglu to increase their scoring roles. Would either of these Bulls trades be market value? Not even close. But would they be better than getting nothing? Absolutely.

If I were Bryan Colangilo I would be looking at Golden State as my main trading partner as they seem pretty serious on trading away Anthony Randolph (why I don’t know). I would also be loaded and doing my best to sleep with every member of the Raptors Dance Pack, but I digress. Most likely, Golden State would have to throw someone else in like a Monta Ellis, Stephen Curry or Andris Biedrins to make it work. The Raptors would be getting a younger (and cheaper) version of Bosh along with possibly a good shooting guard in either Ellis or Curry.

But maybe the most interesting possibility is Bosh heading to his home state of Texas by getting traded to the Rockets. As it was reported on ESPN before the weekend, the Raptors could acquire one of Houston’s top talents like Luis Scola, Trevor Ariza, Aaron Brooks for Bosh. Of course, the kicker is whether McGrady would have to be part of that deal. It would be a great move for Houston, who would instantly become a legitimate contender out West. But at the same time, it seems there’s not enough in the deal to entice Toronto to make that move.

There’s roughly 40 days until Toronto is forced to show their hand. Expect more rumors and more teams involved to surface in the coming days and weeks. And maybe sometime soon, one of these rumors will actually pan out.

As a Raptors fan I have to admit I am liking some of the potential offers out there. Bynum would be a solid pick up as would almost any package from Golden State. As long as Colangelo gets something and doesn't just let Bosh walk into free agency without getting any sort of compensation in return. Nothing pisses me off more then watching teams let their best players walk because they couldn't get a trade done. If it means taking 70 cents on the dollar I am OK with that. Just don't let him walk for nothing and have the Raptors suck for 5-6 years because a deal couldn't get done.

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