Monday, January 11th, 2010 at 9:00 am  |  141 responses

Trade Talk: Bynum for Bosh

by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

With the trade deadline on the horizon, ’tis indeed the season for wild rumors. And this one is a doozy.

Everyone in Toronto (and around the League) seems resigned to the idea that Chris Bosh will be wearing a different uniform next season, so it’s not unusual to see his name being tossed around in these conversations. The surprise is seeing Andrew Bynum — who’s having his best season yet as a pro — in the same chatter.

According to the NY Post, however, the Los Angeles Lakers wouldn’t mind swapping bigs with Toronto:

A Lakers source told me the team had its sights set high, as usual, and planned to target the possible acquisition of Chris Bosh when it got closer to the 3 p.m. Feb. 18 trade deadline, and the Raptors might be more likely to move their Olympian/All-Star while still entitled to compensation. It commonly is believed Bosh almost certain is to flee Toronto after this season, when he has the right to opt out of the final year ($17.1 million) of his contract.

My source believes the Lakers will offer Andrew Bynum for Bosh (if they haven’t done so already) well before the deadline expires. In itself, the one-for-one swap is impossible to make. Bynum’s “base year” essentially allows L.A. to take back but half of his salary this year ($12.5M). Of course, that restriction is lifted when next year’s salary ($13.7M) activates come July 1, at which time a sign-and-trade transaction would be feasible.

Naturally and immediately, Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo strongly denied such talks when asked about them.

That being said, what are your thoughts on this: Does it make sense for both sides, or is this just the first in a long line of crazy rumors prior to the Feb. 18 deadline?

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  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    Bryan I was thinking that too. But against guys like Kendrick Perkins and Dwight Howard, Gasol and Bosh will get pushed so far under the basket they would be susceptible to offensive boards that wouldn’t happen with Bynum. But that is the ONLY disadvantage I can think of in this trade for LA

  • http://www.luketynan.blogspot.com litetitan

    OKAY I’VE WORKED OUT A TRADE THAT WOULD WORK (as far as the salaries go and the expected win/loss results) BUT IT DOESN’T LOOK PRETTY AND NO TEAM WOULD DO THIS TRADE…
    -
    It’s a 3way trade involving Houston, Lakers and Toronto:
    -
    Houston get:Lamar Odom, Luke Walton and Jose Calderon (from toronto).
    -
    LA get: Chris Bosh and Reggie Evans
    -
    Toronto get: Andrew Bynum BUT also get Yao Ming from Houston (but oddly enough are projected to win 9 fewer games with those two aquired players).
    It’s projected that the Lakers would gain 5 wins by this trade.
    -
    Note though, to acquire Bosh, the Lakers have to be move alot of money, either directly (move kobe??) or indirectly with a 3rd team.
    It’s just not going to happen – the Bosh for Bynum scenario.

  • Aaron

    Yeah too bad the Raptors are building for the FUTURE. Pass.

  • http://roboto@gmail.com roboto

    the word out of LA is this: Bynum is bad in the locker room. Nobody likes him (read Kobe hates him). Phil is tired of Bynum being the last slowest man up the court and missing his D rotations. This trade has legs.

  • Sturm Drang

    This is a terrible idea for LA. There is no way they could afford to keep Bosh. Bynum is a long-term investment that’s already paying off in the present. At worst, he gives LA some muscle for dealing with Howard, and at best, when Bynum is alongside Gasol, they’re usually able to dominate inside. A lineup of Gasol and Bosh??? That’s a downgrade defensively and it’s really not as much of an offensive upgrade as it may first seem because 1) there’s not enough shots to go around to make the most of Bosh and 2) Bosh is less rebounding than Bynum. It’s an even worse deal for Toronto because Bynum is not a dominant force – he needs a PF who’ll help out on the inside, not a long-range shooter like Bargnani. He looks better in LA because Gasol/Odom take heat off of him in there. Even Artest is a bruiser, and of course, Kobe gets so much attention… Just, no. It’s dumb.

  • KB24

    BINGO!!!!!
    This trade works on ESPN’s NBA Trade Machine and MAKES SENSE:

    Lakers Get: PF Chris Bosh with his expiring contract and PF Amir Johnson with his expiring contract

    Raptors Get: C Andrew Bynum with 3yrs. left, SF Adam Morrison with his expiring contract, and SG Sasha Vujacic with 2yrs. left

    Only thing is Bosh would have to decide between RINGS OR MONEY

    Hollinger’s Analysis- Lakers +6 Wins, Raptors -9 Losses

  • Jose

    No! Bosh has to sign W/ Miami this summer not get traded. Damnit!dont let it happen! lakers aint a charity case!they the defending world champs.*hurting inside saying that*

  • http://shawn-kemps-offspring.blogspot.com/ Tariq

    This makes sense for Toronto because they would get something for Bosh, who is leaving in the summer anyway. But why would the Lakers give up Bynum just to rent Bosh for the rest of the season? They can’t afford to pay him what other teams can. So why would they do it?
    UNLESS they see Bynum as an injury-prone bad contract they want to get out of.

  • Johnson

    All this talk of LA losing defense against the elite centers of the league, Who? there is not a single elite center in the league and Dwight is not elite, at least not now. Its not like its hard to defend against him, pau did just fine while bynum was on the bench in the finals. Other than howard tho there isn’t a pure center that even comes close to dominant other than bynum and a healthy oden(watch the first 20 games of the season for the blazers lol.) The league hasn’t seen a big man that is naturally talented on both ends of the floor while being athletic and stable since the diesel. Howard is the closest thing but he is and will be for awhile a work in progress.

  • Johnson

    And bynum can easily put up bosh numbers in toronto, i dislike the deal from LA’s standpoint but Toronto would be foolish not to give this deal serious consideration. Moving bargnani to what seems like a much more natural 4 and having an actual defensive and offensive threat down low would really benefit the team. Look at bynum’s numbers when pau is out and think of the fact that even when he plays 30+ minutes he still has artest, kobe and odom on the team and can get 20-10-2.5 on 11-14 shots. Toronto fans should be much more excited about the prospect than it seems they are. Well there is the injury risk tho.

  • Johnson

    And i think bynum has been secretly requesting a trade, he believes himself to be an allstar and can’t be too happy with the minutes he gets on the loaded front court.

  • benny

    Well toronto will regret not taking the trade if bosh leaves via free agency, but it is a very lopsided trade. If brian colangelo could get them to throw another high caliber player (lamar odom) i would completely understand.

  • Kent Kanada

    I think its more likely to be Bosh for Gasol and Vujacic since Raptors are aiming to complete their goal at an all European club in Toronto

  • Exile

    I would not bend on trying to keep Bosh. As an organization, you have to try to keep him…. unless Bosh tells them straight up that he won’t stay.

  • wilz

    crazy

  • matt

    just because americans continue to say that bosh will leave doesnt mean that ‘its becoming more aparent bosh will leave’. what nonsense. ottawas not THAT far from toronto marcel, you should be able to hear that no one is resigned to bosh leaving

  • Shem

    Im a big raps fan, id hate to see this. Bynum is plain stupid. He decided to let go kareem, hes lucky to have kareem even want to tutor him. Plus, Id take my chances on bosh leaving and signing someone with his cap then trading him and comiting money to a player in which you could get be more flexible adn sign whoever they want. Who would play of bargnani or bynum?

  • Shem

    ^ I meant who would play C, cuz both players benefit of center matchups. KG on andrea is a better matchup then Kendrick perkins

  • http://www.luketynan.blogspot.com litetitan

    From a personel move I don’t mind LAKERS getting Bosh, Pau is a fine rebounder, as is Lamar and Bosh adds to that. Bynum is only a great rebounder against small teams (see Houston) and when Pau is out.
    _
    @KB24: I like that trade you’ve put forward on the espn trade machine and if LA has anyone they can get out of the NBA DL to fill a bench spot, it shows promise. The only thing is they will be slightly undermanned with Luke Walton still injured (day to day).

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    Just for the record, a healthy Yao Ming is the best center in the NBA.

  • http://IdontthinktheLakersneedanymorescoring.whattheyneedisacenterthatfillsinalltheintangibles.AcenterlikeNoahwouldbeperfectforthelakersbecausehewoulddoallofthedirtyworkthatGasolOdomdontwanttobeaparto drock

    Noah for Bynum would be a better fit for the Lakers. Noah does everything that Phil Jackson wants out of a post player and it would create more room for Kobe to post up and also Gasol. You have to remember that Kobe’s game is moving closer to the basket due to the fact that he’s older and can’t consistently try to dominate from the perimeter every night. Plus Phil Jackson loves Noah and the fact that he can pass and rebound only makes their offense more dynamic. Bynum is a better player but Noah has a higher work ethic and is a better fit

  • http://jayemmbee.blogspot.com ClutchPerformer

    when hell freezes over lol
    my raptors arent gonna pull another lopsided trade again ala VC to NJ

  • http://IJustWantMyNameToLookBig.com Chukaz

    no fu(kin way my lakers do this. why would you want to get a 6 11 small forward? that’s what bosh is. You can talk all you want bout how he’s a superstar and whatever, but he’s not even one of the top 5 PF in da league. Gasol duncan dirk stat da (old) kid. I would argue that maybe Aldridge west n z bo are better. I’m not even sure if he’s da best pf on his own team (andrea’s pretty talented). Bynum’s a top 2 center in da league right now (cuz yao’s out). I’ll take that over bosh

  • JoeMaMa

    Where the HELL is Reggie Evans?!!??!?
    If he was healthy, we’d have more attitude, tougher D, and a few more wins. And we’d be talking about this being a turning point for the Raps, what with our young talent, Bargnani’s improvement, and Bosh’s all star status.
    I think I just said Reggie Evans can save the Raptors for years to come. F*ck.

  • JWIZZ

    If the lakers got their hands on Bosh they’d be really hard to handle, and this might not be bad for Bynum either since he doesn’t play well with Gasol. No matter how crazy this trade sounds i reckon its possible, i didn’t think Memphis would give Gasol away last time..

  • glee(a laker fan)

    From what I’ve read, the only way this deal will go down is if the Lakers trade Bynum, Farmar, and Morrison for Bosh. And the only way the Lakers will do this trade is if they get a contract extension for Bosh. On paper, this trade makes perfect sense for the Lakers. Gasol’s PER and PER against stats are better at the C than at the PF. For all the people saying that Pau can’t guard the elite C’s: remember the 2009 finals against Dwight Howard. The only thing that would worry me about this trade is the fact that the Lakers would have have 11 on their roster and I do believe that the league requires every team to have at least 12 players on their roster.

    To me, Bynum is a liability. Watching him play makes my head explode. He is so inconsistent. And now that he pretty much got rid of Kareem, I don’t see Bynum improving that much. Remember, Kareem was the one that made Bynum who he is today. And watching Chris Bosh playing with the Redeem Team makes me a believer of Bosh meshing with the Lakers’ system. Because of Bynum’s “increased play,” Pau’s offensive production has dipped a little. However, with Bosh, Pau’s inside game should increase dramatically while Chris Bosh stretches out the opponent’s defense. With Kobe on the block so much, Bosh gives Kobe a reliable pure shooter. The reason I think Kobe has failed lately is because teams have been able to shut down Kobe on the block. He has no reliable player to pass to and ends up having to take a low percentage shot.

    Basically, I think Bynum is way overrated, Gasol is an underrated defender, and Bosh is easily a top 10 player in the league. It makes sense to the pull the trigger on this trade.

    This is also a pretty good read about this topic:

    http://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2010/1/11/1244964/a-beginners-guide-to-the-bynum?ref=yahoo

  • Sporting-Lisbon-Blazers

    “BYNUM IS HANDS DOWN THE BEST CENTER IN THE LEAGUE” HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH…HES NOT EVEN THE BEST CENTER TO PLAY IN THE STAPLES, KAVEMAN IS THERE FELLAS!!!

  • al

    This makes a lot of sense cause Lakers are ready to sign MARC GASOL for next season. So they can start Pau and Bosh, and have a good big center when they needed

  • http://dsjfhklf.com Jukai

    Chukaz starting 2010 early with another nonsense post

  • Sporting-Lisbon-Blazers

    if LA signs the lil Gasol, I just might try to move on from the NBA.

  • Shem

    @Chukaz: A 6’11 sf that isnt even a superstar? Chris Bosh is averaging 24 pts and 11 rebounds and he was averaging 9 trips to the line a night but i think hes around 8 now. When you said Bosh isn’t even a top 5 pf thats when i realized you dont have a very good view on things. KG is absolutely done, Duncan is still going but Bosh is better and I think him and gasol are questionable but im not sure if hes better then dirk. His D is though. Then when you said Bargnani is a better pf then bosh was when i decided i had to reply. HOW IS ANDREA, ALDRIDGE,AND WEST BETTER THEN BOSH? AND HOW IS BYNUM THE BEST C IN THE L. Your opinions are flawed

  • Shem

    @Jukai: Thank you.

  • tavoris

    Why would the Lakers (who are 28-6 with Pau hurt a lot) make ANY moves? The only guys they’d want to move right now are players who aren’t really in the rotation (see Walton, Luke & and Morrison, Adam). Otherwise, they can sit on their TV money and continually win with what they have. No trade of any of their frontcourt players make sense (because their 2-5 positions trump every other teams BY FAR).

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    Bosh is a top 10 PLAYER in the League Bynum is a top 10 TALENT. Thats why you make the trade

  • tavoris

    nbk-but he reproduces skills that Gasol & Odom already bing to the table.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    Except Bosh has a better jumpshot, he’s better at d – and he would take the athletic big from every other team out of the game – while allowing Pau to destroy opposing centers. The lakers would be the only team in the league that is as deadly on the break as they are in a half court set. There would be literally no team with an strong advantage over LA. IMO

  • yeah

    pau gasol handled dwight howard last years finals..bynum was in foul trouble. bosh, pau, artest kobe and fish. would work but less touches for bosh..i dont think he’d like that. what the lakers need is a point guard that can actually get atleast 6 assist a game unlike fish. and somebody who can slash and shoooooot!! shannon brown is inconsistent. a spark off the bench. all there is to it. dont need bosh. jus need a better bench that is consistent. gotta find that player if lakers want to win again this year.

  • http://aaronlim_11@yahoo.com laker

    lakers need a point guard who gets his assist handed out more than kobes 4 assist a game. terrible for a pg to have less assist than their 2 guard. kobe wont have to fascilitate if they had a better point guard than fish..kobe wont be as tired if they had a player like rondo. look at how much easier the game is for allen and pierce and kg with a good point guard running the game…then 2nd to a point guard..gotta get a spark plug..haha nate robinson would be nice but he would be a pain in the ass. need a bench to win the finals. and pau gasol can handle dwight. lol thats why the magic loss in the finals last year..no answer for kobe and dwight had one good game. bosh to lakers..possible but might ruin the chemistry. but would really destroy other teams with bosh in the high post and pau in the low post. woould work well.

  • npn

    f**k all you morons that would trade away the future of the nba. You idiots make me sick and i would hurt you if i heard you say that we should give up bynum for bosh. Get real.

  • ns

    on a scale of 1 to 10 – bosh is 9 and that is not where bynum is yet .. bosh can take a bad team and turn it into a good team – its because of his attitude and personality .. something you don’t see a lot these days – in a league filled with selfish players who want more money and don’t care about their teams – there is someone like bosh still around ..
    the lakers would be blessed to have bosh in their team – and toronto would just hit rock bottom .. bynum is good – but he is not there yet ..

    kobe would start crying again if there is another star on the team .. unless they get rid of kobe and have bosh as their # 1 guy – i don’t see this deal working

  • LbC Ya562

    @ the guy who said the Bosh for Bynem trade wouldnt work because of Kobe. You should slap yourself. Kobe turns 32 this season, he is willing to pass the ball, Im sure as long as the team i splayin well he wouldn’t mind havin another star. I honestly he cares more about winning now more then anything.

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