Trading Jermaine O’Neal and his gluttonous contract to the Miami Heat was a great move by GM Bryan Colangelo.

The power forward was traded with Jamario Moon in exchange for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks.  With the Raptors five games out of the playoffs and 13 games below .500, the team needed a change.  This move wasn’t made for the purpose of pushing the Raptors towards the post-season, but pushing them in the right direction long term.  And it is exactly what they needed.

Management has realized Andrea Bargnani and Chris Bosh can be a successful C/PF combo if given a talented line-up to play with.  With that in mind, O’Neal and his near $23-million contract for next year were sent packing.  In comes Shawn Marion, who while playing great defence and adding some scoring from the wing, will not be back next season.

This opens up the $17.8-million that will come off the books when Marion’s deal expires and also the money saved with the expiring contracts of Anthony Parker and Joey Graham.  This is where the Raptors win this trade.

Expected free agents this off-season include Mike Bibby, Allen Iverson, Ron Artest, Andre Miller, Lamar Odom, Carlos Boozer and RFA Marvin Williams.  In a market that sees most teams lining up for the 2010 crop of free agents (Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, etc.) the Raps may be one of only a handful of teams with the money to attack the free agent list.

The deal was definitely the right move to make, and props to Bryan Colangelo for admitting his mistake (trading for O’Neal just 55 games ago).  Too often general managers will stick to their guns, instead of conceding and helping teams move in the right direction. 

What are your thoughts?

Was this the right move for the Raptors? And who should they target with the cap space in the off-season?

Post your comments below or e-mail me at r.bolta@sympatico.ca

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