Bryan Colangelo=Mastermind?

Bryan Colangelo is finally getting the credit he deserves. Last night, a much rumored deal went down, in which 4 teams were involved in a very complicated sign and trade. Though it is hard to explain the terms of the deal, the Raptors hit the jackpot.

Last week, the Raptors agreed to terms with Hedo Turkgolu, thus having to depart ways with Shawn Marion. Marion was the centerpiece of this deal, and was signed and traded to the Dallas Mavericks. He will earn in the neighborhood of $39 million. The Mavericks also get Greg Buckner, and Raptors' big man Kris Humphries. Humphries, in my opinion, is an underrated big man, and will probably replace Brandon Bass' role as the scoring big man off the bench.

Buckner's contract isn't guaranteed and he'll likely be waived, but he won't be the only one after the trade is completed. The Mavericks sent Jerry Stackhouse to Memphis along with $3 million in cash. The Grizzlies will probably waive Stackhouse since he's guaranteed only $2 million of his $7 million salary. Memphis will also get PG Quincy Douby from the Raptors. His contract isn't guaranteed as well.

Orlando agreed to sign and trade Hedo Turkoglu to Toronto rather than allowing the Raptors to sign him directly. The Magic will also get a trade exception worth $8 million, so the Magic will have some money to spend.

But the Raptors are the big winners of this deal. Because of the massive deal Turkoglu got from Toronto, the Raptors were forced to renounce their rights to several players to give Turkoglu the five-year/$53 million deal they'd agreed to, or a sign and trade had to be worked out. The Raptors can now bring back players like Carlos Delfino and Pops Mensah-Bonsu, because Orlando did a sign and trade. The Mavericks also sent Antoine Wright and Devean George to Toronto, to give the Raptors some much needed bench support. Oh, and we're not done--The Raptors also retain their mid-level and biannaual exceptions, to add even more depth on the bench. Wow! What a deal! Not only do the Raptors have a very solid starting 5, but the bench will be much improved. Not only will the Raps bring back Delfino and Mensah-Bonsu, but Bryan Colangelo is rumored to be interested in Linas Kleiza, as well. The Raptors have so many options now.

If this deal works out, I can see the Raptors as the 4th best team in the East, and going deep in the playoffs. Bryan Colangelo has struck gold. I knew he had a plan for us--I just didn't think it would work out this well.

Overall, the Raptors have had a GREAT offseason. Hopefully, it's enough for Chris Bosh to stay in Toronto.