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?
