Delfino/Ukic to Bucks for Amir Johnson?

[ploto]

Just when you thought it was safe to think the Raptors were done, they’re not.

Details are a bit sketchy at the moment, but according to league sources, they are about to finalize a trade that could send swingman Carlos Delfino and point guard Roko Ukic in a two-for-two deal with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Young big man Amir Johnson is headed to Toronto but the other component of the deal remains unknown. It's unclear when the deal will be official but it could be done as early as today or tomorrow.

The financial aspect of the deal will be felt at the end of next season.

Johnson has just one year and $3,666,667 left on his contract while Ukic had an option for $1,450,000 in the 2010-11 season.

And with the expectations that the salary cap and luxury tax thresholds will drop next season, any long-term savings will help keep some kind of financial flexibility for president and general manager Bryan Colangelo.

But giving up on Ukic is a gamble, even for a Toronto team with a surfeit of point guards.

The 24-year-old struggled at times in his rookie season but at 6-foot-5 and with the ability to break down defences, his skillset could see him eventually thrive in the NBA.

However, with Jose Calderon and the recently-acquired Jarrett Jack cemented as the top two point guards on the roster and Quincy Douby seemingly able to handle third string duties if necessary, Ukic did become expendable.

Delfino spent last season with Khimki in the Russian league after a year with Toronto and three with the Detroit Pistons.

The Raptors originally had major interest in bringing him back but the acquisition of free agent Hedo Turkoglu, the drafting of DeMar DeRozan, the acquisition of Marco Belinelli and the arrival of Jack made Delfino redundant.

Johnson? Well, he’s big, 6-9 and 210 pounds; raw and really hasn’t done much in the four years he’s kicked around the league. But with some playing time available on a front court rotation that will be dominated by Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani, Rasho Nesterovic and Reggie Evans, he might get a chance to contribute – or at least push Patrick O’Bryant for those five-big minutes.

What else does it mean?

Well, Toronto now has two roster spots to fill and who knows if they’ll come to terms with fan favourite Pops Mensah-Bonsu. But, it can be said that Johnson will be the fifth big and is at least as good, if not better, that Pops so Bryan could very well go looking for another backup small forward – still a hole in the roster that has to be filled – with someone who can shoot from range.

http://thestar.blogs.com/raptors/2009/08/so-long-carlos-and-roko.html

[jacobdrj]

Leave it to Hammond to get the proper use out of Delfino that Dumars could not.

[Muser]

Is Johnson the one that had that sick windmill on his Detroit debut then never did a thing after?

[jacobdrj]

He did some things. Excellent shot blocker for his size. But he couldn't stay out of foul trouble for the life of him.

[JamStone]

6-9, 210 is not "big" for an NBA player, especially a PF/C.

[jacobdrj]

Then what is Toronto's excuse?

Wasn't Delfino known for having sand in his vag while with the Pistons?




That's not true..Amir can give Nazr Mohammed a run for his money in the foul machine department

I thought he was very effective in Toronto. I don't see him as a star, but as a solid defender at the SG/SF that can give you 3's in streaks.

As for the sand comment, that could be said of anyone Senile Brown had a problem with.

[Kamnik]

Toronto's GM is ensuring that they won't be seriously competitve for years to come. Not only with this trade. This one isn't that bad but it doesn't do anything for them.

[ploto]

This one isn't that bad but it doesn't do anything for them.

Ukic asked to be traded so that probably played into it.


NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com on Monday that the Raptors have agreed in principal on a sign-and-trade deal that will send swingman Carlos Delfino and guard Roko Ukic to the Milwaukee Bucks for power forward Amir Johnson and guard Sonny Weems.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4404309

[mountainballer]

will be interesting to hear what contract Delfino finally got, guessing from the numbers involved it should be between 3 and 4 million $ per. that's a good deal for the Bucks IMO. guess this also means the Bucks for sure won't match an offer sheet to Sessions. funny, at the end of last season they stated that re signing Sessions and Charlie V is a priority and it looked as if the RJ trade should make room for this in the first place. however, I kinda like what the Bucks did. (not just for the RJ trade, of course I like that move, but for different reasons). they still lack a quality PF though.

[mountainballer]

Toronto's GM is ensuring that they won't be seriously competitve for years to come. Not only with this trade. This one isn't that bad but it doesn't do anything for them.

hm. he turned the rights of a player into an expiring contract and got rid of an unhappy player. Johnson will either surprise and help a bit, or he will be a nice trade asset at deadline. (currently the Raptors don't have a significant expiring contract on their books. the 3.7 million of Johnson are not huge, but big enough for trade scenarios close to the MLE). I think the Raptors did well this off season. at least it will be interesting how this team works, but I wouldn't be surprised if it works out quite well.

[jazzypimp]

when I saw amir play I thought the guy was gonna be a star. freak athlete. But the coaches dont believe in him. He never plays but has the talent of a star...wonder if he can turn it around and be a legit player sometime??

[duncan228]

The latest national.

Source: Raptors agree to deal Delfino to Bucks (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-bucks-raptorstrade&prov=ap&type=lgns)
By Chris Jenkins

The Toronto Raptors have agreed to send swingman Carlos Delfino to Milwaukee in exchange for power forward Amir Johnson as part of a four-player trade, a person with direct knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Monday.

The deal would also send guard Roko Ukic to Milwaukee in exchange for Bucks guard Sonny Weems. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been completed.

The deal was first reported by ESPN.com.

Delfino, a native of Argentina, played his first three seasons in Detroit before being traded to Toronto, where he averaged a career-best nine points and 4.4 rebounds per game in the 2007-08 season.

Delfino played in Russia last season but the Raptors retained his rights.

Milwaukee’s front office was intrigued by the potential of Johnson, 22, who was drafted by Detroit out of high school in 2005. Immediately after dealing Richard Jefferson to San Antonio for Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas and Fabricio Oberto in June, the Bucks sent Oberto to Detroit for Johnson.

Johnson became more expendable when the Bucks signed Hakim Warrick, a move that came after Memphis rescinded its qualifying offer to the restricted free agent.

Delfino was unlikely to find playing time in Toronto after the Raptors made a slew of offseason moves that included trading for Hedo Turkoglu, signing free agent Jarrett Jack and drafting DeMar DeRozan out of Southern California.

[ploto]

The Toronto Raptors have agreed to send swingman Carlos Delfino to Milwaukee in exchange for power forward Amir Johnson...

The deal would also send guard Roko Ukic to Milwaukee in exchange for Bucks guard Sonny Weems...
I believe these two trades have to be done separately technically because of Johnson and Weems both being traded to the Bucks this summer. To be done now, they each have to be traded alone.

[Typhoon]

This is a good opportunity for Delfino, he should be able to get big minutes now no problem.

He has everything to be a great player, his defense/rebounding is always there but offensive he has only shown flashes in Toronto... he is a slasher, can create for him/and others and can shoot the three, I see Delfino averaging 15+ points a game easily,

[spursfan1000]

The Raptors are really showing they mean buisness this off season.

[duncan228]

It's official.

Bucks, Raptors complete 4-player deal (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-bucks-raptorstrade&prov=ap&type=lgns)

The Toronto Raptors completed a trade with the Bucks on Tuesday, sending Carlos Delfino to Milwaukee as part of a four-player deal.

Toronto acquired forward Amir Johnson and guard-forward Sonny Weems and sent Roko Ukic to Milwaukee along with Delfino, who spent last season in Russia.

“Carlos made it clear he would prefer to play elsewhere if he were to return to the NBA,” Raptors president Bryan Colangelo said in a statement. “There were limited sign and trade scenarios available, but acquiring Amir Johnson in this deal gives us another long, talented young big man whose best basketball is ahead of him.”

Johnson spent the past four seasons in Detroit before getting dealt to Milwaukee in June. He appeared in 62 games for the Pistons last season and shot a team-best 59.5 percent while averaging 3.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 0.97 blocks.

Weems appeared in 14 games as a rookie with the Denver Nuggets last year.

Delfino appeared in 82 games with the Raptors in 2007-08, averaging 9.0 points and 4.4 rebounds. Ukic made his NBA debut last season following six seasons overseas. He averaged 4.2 points, 2.1 assists and 12.4 minutes in 72 games.

[Bob Lanier]

Sure, he'd prefer to play "elsewhere", but does Milwaukee really have much more of a Mexican population than Toronto does?

[lefty]

Sure, he'd prefer to play "elsewhere", but does Milwaukee really have much more of a Mexican population than Toronto does?

Doesn't matter since he's from Argentina

[dallaskd]

Doesn't matter since he's from Argentina

[Bob Lanier]

Doesn't matter since he's from Argentina
Exactly; he's a Mexican.

[lefty]

Exactly; he's a Mexican.

As Barney Stinson would say: " Indian and Chinese are the same; and Sweden is France "

[Bob Lanier]

Anyone can see that Indians, Chinese, Swedish, and French are different peoples with differing histories.

No credible independent observers have ever been noted to see such stark differences between the various tribes of Spanish-speaking Indians (feather, not dot). And since Mexico is the biggest and most advanced Spanish-speaking country in the world, we do the rest of the beaners a favor and lump them in with the best-in-breed.