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TORONTO — The Toronto Raptors will ostensibly be picking a player for their future during the NBA draft tonight, but much of their discussion building up to the annual talent selection process has centred on a player likely to be part of their past.
That's if they don't trade the pick — and T.J. Ford — first.
Late yesterday afternoon, a report on Yahoosports.com said Ford was part of a previously rumoured trade sending the speedy point guard to the Indiana Pacers along with Rasho Nesterovic and the Raptors' draft pick for six-time Pacers all-star Jermaine O'Neal.
The trade was agreed to in principle and would only require physicals to be completed, the report said.
Milwaukee Bucks centre Michael Ruffin, left, defends Indiana Pacers forward Jermaine O'Neal in the first half of NBA basketball action in Indianapolis, April 6, 2008. (Associated Press)
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Raptors president Bryan Colangelo declined to comment on the deal when reached last night. One league source said that while there was traction to the talks with the Pacers, other potential trades were still in play.
Colangelo emerged from the Raptors' offices briefly yesterday to provide an update on whom the Raptors might consider taking with the No. 17 pick in what is considered a deep pool of potential NBA talent, but instead was drawn into talking about Ford, the club's erstwhile starting point guard.
The emergence of Jose Calderon and Ford's unwillingness to take a back seat to the Spanish guard have made the former Texas star one of the most available players in the NBA as the rumour mill churns into high gear.
"We're talking about a player in T.J. that's an asset," Colangelo said. "He's a starting point guard in the NBA. Due to the fact that … it's been known that he's available, so to speak, there's been a lot of interest. Teams have called and inquired and not put deals on the table that have been insulting in any regard. It's apparent that T.J.'s value is very high."
It would be a deal featuring two players with considerable histories of injury. Ford missed the entire 2004-05 season, mainly because of a congenital spinal condition. O'Neal has missed 53 games in the past two seasons because of knee problems, including 40 last year after a knee was surgically repaired in the off-season. When healthy, O'Neal has been one the NBA's dominant big men, averaging at least 19 points and nine rebounds until falling off to 14.4 points and 7.7 rebounds last year.
O'Neal has two years and $44-million (all currency U.S.) remaining on his contract. The trade couldn't be made official until July 9 at the earliest. Ford is designated a base year compensation player, which means the salaries would not match, as required by the NBA's collective labour agreement. Ford's base year status will expire on July 1, but then the NBA has an eight-day moratorium on signings and trades.
Colangelo refused to specify any details yesterday, saying only he's in talks with five clubs about Ford, who has three years and $24-million left on his contract.
"We're looking at a few things, and two of them are straight offers, one is being negotiated and two are simmering," he said. "Of the five that are out there — it's moving along."
Another rumour that was widely reported involved Ford heading to the Phoenix Suns for Boris Diaw, a talented French forward who is considered a bit of an underachiever, at least compared with the $9-million he's owed over the next four seasons. The Raptors might have to include a draft pick as well.
A source in Phoenix yesterday said another scenario might be Nesterovic and his expiring contract heading to the Suns to back up Shaquille O'Neal and provide some cap relief for cost-conscious Phoenix.
There also were reports yesterday the Raptors have talked with the Detroit Pistons about a deal that would net Pistons shooting guard Richard Hamilton, though the Pistons are holding out for Jose Calderon.
"Bryan is talking to everyone," one Eastern Conference front-office source said. "He's trying to trade to make his team better."
Another club that will likely be active in the trade market in the coming week will be the Portland Trail Blazers, who have a bag full of draft picks and good young players, but need a point guard and some salary-cap flexibility.
It was interesting in that context that Colangelo, noting that his club needs both wing scoring — "We've talked about finding a legitimate 20-point scorer at the wing position" — and more toughness made reference to wiry Hamilton, who has averaged 20.8 points in 116 career playoff games.
"[The Pistons] mentally, are a very tough team," Colangelo said. "Rip Hamilton is not a big strong guy, but he's a pretty tough kid."
And while the Raptors already have a good shooting guard in Anthony Parker, Colangelo acknowledged that the former Euroleague most valuable player has been approached with a lucrative offer play in Greece.
Parker's agent, Henry Thomas, played down the significance of the offer in an e-mail to The Globe and Mail, and Colangelo said that his preference would be to have Parker finish his career in Toronto.
As for whom the Raptors might consider taking if they hang on to their draft pick, Colangelo said there are perhaps as many as 10 candidates, divided among centres, power forwards and wing players.
Of the big men, they could be further broken down into players who represent mostly potential — Alexis Ajinka, a string-bean centre from France, was among those mentioned — and those who might be able to contribute sooner, such as Stanford centre Robin Lopez, a rebounding and defensive specialist with raw offensive skills.
