Raptors President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo spoke with HoopsWorld's Stephen Brotherston about the reasoning behind today's trade that sent Leandro Barbosa to the Pacers for cash and a second-round pick.
“I viewed this as a great opportunity for Leandro to go to a playoff team, a young upstart team that really does need some scoring punch off the bench right now. It is an Eastern Conference team and that would normally not be something that I’d like to do, take care of a team like that, but this is really a positive situation, not only for Leandro but positive for us.”
Colangelo touted the draft pick the Raptors received and the cap room Barbosa freed up as incentives for making the deal. Barbosa will make $7.6MM this season and become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
I didn’t know Brian Colangelo was being paid by The Indianapolis Pacers….Hibbert a few years ago for nothing and now Barbosa for a second round draft pick…Sure, most GMs would make those two deals in a heartbeat — if they were running the Pacers…But I thought Brian was still employed by The Raptors….
Brian Colangelo is doing a great job at creating a team to fail, let’s hope can be as successful at building a winning team.
Storyteller of continued failure. He always has his reasonings for ranking succesfully among the NBA’s worst franchises years in years out, in spite of the resources assigned and money spent. Barbosa was a good player before going to Toronto, and it turns out “he did not fit…” How come no good player fits in the Raptors? You will never get any player better than Barbosa to accept to go to Toronto, and any good player that went there will seek to get out soonest possible.
I was sorry and quite surprised that Barbosa was traded. He was such a bright spot on an otherwise sporadic line-up.( when he was inserted) . I understand the cap space and draft choices for future stars, but I still liked him coming off the bench and seeming to lift up the second unit, and I am surely going to miss those finger-roll shots that he was such a master at.
We need an Alex Anthopolous for the Raptors…. :(
We should trade Colangelo. It was hard enough watching S. Marion and Peja S. winning for Dallas. Now we are helping the Pacers build. Who does Colangelo work for anyway.