Toronto Willing to Send Bosh to Cleveland
According to sources, the Toronto Raptors have agreed to the possibility of sending touted free agent Chris Bosh in a sign-and-trade deal to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Although the Raptors have agreed to this type of deal, Chris Bosh’s approval would also be required.
The details of the deal have not been fully ironed out, but Cleveland would most likely present Toronto with the likes of Anderson Varejao and/or J.J. Hickson to replace the size gap created by Bosh’s departure. The Cavaliers could also involve Delonte West, Anthony Parker, or even a draft pick in order to appease the Raptors and clear salary cap space.
This is not the first time the possibility of such a deal has arisen, and Bosh and James have been aware of it for a while. Sources also state that James has recently been trying to recruit Bosh to Cleveland.
Unfortunately for James and Cavaliers fans, Bosh has not seemed interested in playing in Cleveland. If he were to come to Cleveland, Bosh would be able to achieve his free agency goals. He would get to play with James, who would almost certainly re-sign with Cleveland to make the deal happen, and he would receive the highest possible salary.
If the Cavaliers obtain Bosh via a sign-and-trade, they will be able to pay him a maximum salary of $125-million for six years. If Bosh signs with a team through free agency rather than a trade, he will only be able to earn $96 million over five years. Bosh wants to maximize the amount of money he receives and has been pushing Toronto for a sign-and-trade in order to get the extra $29 million that is on the table.
Bosh really wants to play with LeBron, but has stated that he would prefer to do so somewhere like Chicago, Miami, or New Jersey. Those are the three teams which Bosh reportedly told team officials he would accept a trade to.
If Bosh decides that his focus is on playing in those cities, he may be able to do so in any of them with Dwyane Wade. Wade is currently on the Miami Heat and has stated that he would remain on the team if they found him a suitable addition. Bosh, with his last season averages of 24 points and 10.8 rebounds per game is certainly a suitable addition.
Wade would also have an interest in playing in Chicago with Bosh, which is where Wade grew up and attended high school.
If the Raptors do attempt to perform a sign-and-trade with Chicago, it would most likely be Joakim Noah and some other slight compensation. Miami has less to offer for Bosh and would perhaps try to include Michael Beasley and some other lesser players. Beasley has shown potential on the court for the Heat, but has had some off-court issues.
The Nets could also assemble an interesting package for the Raptors now that they have drafted Derrick Favors. Favors is an interesting power forward prospect and could blossom into a very Bosh-like 20 ppg, 10 rpg presence.
Bosh’s disdain for playing in Cleveland and desire for a maximum deal may actually hurt his chances of success. If Bosh were willing to take a little less to play in Cleveland, LeBron James would almost certainly do the same. The main pressure James faces is that of winning championships, and as an Ohio native he would go a long way to do so with the Cavaliers.
If teams like Miami or New Jersey purge their entire rosters in order to obtain two stars like Bosh and James, they are not guaranteed to win. Basketball is still a 5 on 5 affair and all successful dynasties are based on having a solid supporting cast for a team’s star players.
Tags: