The Raptors have 4 unrestricted free agents this summer, none of them have much bearing on the state of the franchise. Amir Johnson, Antoine Wright are serviceable players but replaceable. Rasho Nesterovic and Patrick O'Bryant only played a combined 53 games and produced very little. Aside from picking up role players with exception money, Toronto's off-season will be hinged on Chris Bosh. Initially, Bosh's opt out determines the next move for the Raptors. It will be hard to bring in a quality free agent without over paying when the core group is Turkoglu, Calderon, Bargnani and Jack. No offense to the these guys, but that doesn't stack up with most other teams nucleus of players. Now, back to Bosh...
I have a hard time picturing any scenario where Bosh stays in Toronto. Granted, he can earn the most money over a long-term deal with the Raptors but I don't think that outweighs the darkness that is the future of the franchise with it's current pieces. With an excess of teams having money to blow, too many intriguing scenarios exist with Bosh in the middle. If, or when, he opts out, he will be the premier available post player of the summer, much more highly sought after than even Amare, if he becomes available. To form a truly unstoppable combination of players, skill sets have to compliment each other. That's why Bosh/Wade or LeBron/Bosh makes infinitely more sense than Wade/LeBron. Only one guy can iso at the top of the key with the ball, and both LeBron and Wade are accustomed to being that guy. But here are some interesting scenarios that could possibly play out with Bosh in the off-season as a free agent.
Re-sign
-Bosh stays in Toronto, regrets it for the next 6 years, and has to watch Hedo hobble around on defense until he can become a free agent again (which is when he would not make the same mistake of re-signing with the Raptors)
Free Agent Market
-Bosh signs with OKC adding solidifying their youthful optimism. He fits under the cap and fits a true need for the Thunder who have little or no scoring presence underneath. Westbrook, Durant, Green, Bosh, Ibaka and Green could do some serious damage as they continue to mature. The only problem with this scenario is how small of a market OKC is. LeBron can go anywhere and be a huge star. Bosh needs a huge market to elevate himself into super-stardom and it is clear he wants that with his weird YouTube videos and Twitter shenanigans. Given how under-exposed OKC was last season, it doesn't quite fit Bosh's attention seeking actions.
-Bosh goes to Miami to play with a re-signed Dwayne Wade. Miami would still have enough money to add more parts, Ray Allen or Mike Miller could be a nice compliment to Wade and Bosh. This dynamic duo, with a few helpers, could have a stretch of 4-5 years of in the top few teams in the East.
-Bosh goes to New York, forming a super squad with other big name free agents. Wade, James, Joe Johnson could all make sense, but none of them signing seems more likely to me.
Sign and Trade
The sign and trade seems to be the most likely scenario for Bosh. Using a sign and trade he could go to a contender which is what I would assume Bosh would like the most. As long as the traded salaries match up, he is fair game to all teams. The sign and trade is beneficial to both teams and even more beneficial than usual for Toronto since they have have historically had a hard time persuading free agents to sign with them even when they over pay. This way they don't have to convince another player Toronto is the right spot for them, it's $17mil worth of some other person's sales job. And there should be a bevy of teams that would trade some valuables to get Bosh. Here is a few sign and trade possibilities:
-Bosh to NY for a package that includes David Lee
-Bosh to LA for a package that includes Andrew Bynum
-Bosh to Dallas, Houston (Bosh is form Texas), Chicago
-Bosh to Cleveland in a package that includes Mo Williams, Delonte West and JJ Hickson. The Cavs would probably have to take on some bad contracts (take your pick, but most likely Turkoglu) too to make this work
Who makes sense in the draft (pick 13): Ed Davis (UNC), Hassan Whiteside (Mar), Ekpe Udoh (Baylor), or Danial Orton (Ky). Toronto lack front court toughness. Both Bosh and Bargnani and softies. I expect a focus on defensive toughness and an inside presence whether Bosh stays of leaves.
These videos cracks me up, especially the first one. It does have some foul language so be warned
Bosh and Colangelo have another chat
