Jermaine O'Neal Traded to Raptors

According to ESPN.com, the Toronto Raptors and Indiana Pacers have agreed to a trade that would send Jermaine O'Neal to Toronto in exchange for T.J. Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, and the 17th overall pick in tomorrow's draft.

This deal makes a lot of sense for both teams. The Pacers needed a point guard and it was unclear whether they'd be able to get a good one in the draft. They most likely would have had to settle for D.J. Augustin or Mario Chalmers, neither of whom is a marked upgrade over current point guard Jamaal Tinsley. Ford is a considerable improvement and although his injury history is concerning, O'Neal has had plenty of trouble staying on the court himself. Nesterovic also comes over after a productive 2007-08 season (well, productive by his standards anyway). He shined down the stretch, scoring 12.4 PPG and pulling down 6.1 RPG after the All-Star break. If nothing else, he should be a solid placeholder for the Pacers while they look for a long-term replacement.

As mentioned, O'Neal's has had trouble staying healthy in recent years, but if he can stay on the court, he'll be an excellent fit in Toronto. He only played in 42 games last year and hasn't played in 70 games since 2003-04, but, before last year, he was very productive when healthy. In 2006-07, he averaged 19.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game. O'Neal's inside scoring and rebounding would be a major boon to the Raptors, who are lacking in that department. Chris Bosh is the closest thing they have to a low-post player, but he has more of a face-up game.

More important to Toronto than the scoring is the defense and rebounding that O'Neal brings. The Raptors were out-rebounded by their opponents last year. Bosh pulled down 8.7 RPG, but the next highest was then-rookie Jamario Moon. Shot-blocking was also a weakness, as Moon and Bosh were the only Raptors to average 1 block per game or better. O'Neal's greatest strength is his defense, both as an on-the-ball defender and a weakside shot-blocker. Defense has not been Toronto's strong point in recent years, but O'Neal's presence in the middle will be a big help.

Of course, that assumes that O'Neal is healthy, which is far from certain. However, even if O'Neal misses a significant portion of the season again, this trade should still pay dividends as it is effectively addition by subtraction. Ford is a talented player, but Jose Calderon clearly outperformed him last year and can play starter's minutes with Ford gone. Having that draft pick would help, but the Raptors are looking to make a playoff run and it's unlikely that, at 17, they would be able to get an immediate contributor.

Meanwhile, the Pacers were already in rebuilding mode and cemented that notion by dealing away their former All-Star. They now have more flexibility with the 11th pick, as they no longer need a point guard. They could either opt for a big man, perhaps someone who they feel could replace some of O'Neal's production, or just take the best player on the board. Not to mention, with two first round picks, they could package them and perhaps Tinsley and try to trade up. They have a lot of options, now that O'Neal is finally off their hands. To their credit, they actually got some value for him. Nicely done.