The Toronto Raptors have agreed in principle to acquire forward Jermaine O'Neal from the Indiana Pacers for point guard T.J. Ford, center Rasho Nesterovic, the 17th pick in the draft and a player to be named, according to multiple reports.
Yahoo Sports, The Canadian Press and ESPN.com all reported the deal, citing unidentified sources. Raptors General Manager Bryan Colangelo told The Canadian Press that he was in the midst of “four or five” conversations with teams involving Ford and a combination of Toronto's No. 17 pick and/or other Raptors players.
A deal can't be finalized until Tuesday, when Ford's base-year compensation tag comes off the books.
Nuggets deal pick
The Charlotte Bobcats wanted to load up on draft picks. The Denver Nuggets were happy to sit out the entire draft.
The Nuggets traded the 20th pick to the Bobcats yesterday in exchange for a future, protected first-round pick. The Bobcats, who also hold the ninth pick today, may now get a chance to address needs at center and point guard.
The Nuggets, meanwhile, will have no picks. Denver, which was swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Los Angeles Lakers, had already traded its second-round choice to Seattle.
Not having a first-round pick saves the salary cap-strapped Nuggets from having to the pay the luxury tax on a guaranteed rookie contract.
“Tough roster to make. You look at a young guy coming in, where does he go?” said Nuggets vice president of basketball operations Mark Warkentien. “Again, you look at the positions and it's tough finding minutes for young guys.”
Denver will get Charlotte's first-round pick next season if the Bobcats make the playoffs. If they don't, Charlotte keeps it. The pick would then be protected by a sliding scale, where Charlotte would retain it if it's in the top 12 in 2010, top 10 in 2011, top eight in 2012 and top three in 2013. Charlotte would have no protection for the pick in 2014.
