Follow the logic train on this one. Toronto needs defense and rebounding, since Andrea Bargnani, as talented as he is, lacks the toughness of say, an ostrich. They also need to clear 2010 space since The Big Twittermental, Chris Bosh, is going to have his share of offers. The Bucks have Amir Johnson, with $3.6 million expiring contract.
Milwaukee needs some flexibility at the wing, since Michael Redd spends more time on the shelf than Gigli. They also need some cheap backup point options, in case this whole Ramon Sessions thing doesn't go down. Toronto has Carlos Delfino (in a sign-and-trade possibility), and Roko Ukic.
Let's make a deal! Eventually!
The Toronto Star's Doug Smith first grabbed hold of the finalizing discussions between the two teams, verifying the sign-and-trade, but had not confirmed the other player in a 2-for-2 swap coming from Milwaukee. ESPN is now reporting that the other player is cap fodder and former Nugget Sonny Weems. In an interesting sidenote, the Sun also mentions that Johnson cannot be traded in a package until August 23, and Ukic cannot be traded in a package until November, which means the two teams will either wait, or process two individual trades, Johnson for Delfino and Weems for Ukic.
For the Raptors, this is a win-win. They didn't want to foot the bill for the 26-year-old Delfino, and Ukic is a little too much of a long-term project for the Colangelo "Win Now, Win At All Costs" initiative. Johnson, on the other hand, provides exactly what they want: cheap, dirty work with an expiring that they can use as a rebounding and defensive augmentation to the scoring combo of Bosh and Bargnani.
It's a bit more complicated for the Bucks, who seem to not be closing the door on Sessions's return, but putting a hand on the door and tensing their collective arm for a shove. Ukic is one of those players who no one can decide if he'll bust out or turn out nicely, which makes life for Luke Ridnour Fan Club President Scott Skiles' decision much easier than if Sessions returns. Apparently, the Bucks also feel that newly signed free agent Hakim Warrick can play the "tough rebound and defense guy" for them. No word yet on if the Bucks' management has fallen through some sort of space-time continuum vortex into an alternate reality and where they come from Warrick does those things.
Perhaps most interesting about this move is that the Bucks now have three guys who are set in their positions (Redd, Andrew Bogut, and Ridnour), and about 10 guys who can play four positions on the floor. The Bucks could very well trot out a lineup of Ridnour-Jennings-Delfino-Mbah a Moute-Bogut. Similarly, try and wrap your brains around Calderon-DeRozan-Johnson-Bosh-Bargnani. Versatility's the name of the game, people.
