The NBA trade rumors are starting to take over the NBA spotlight as probably the last big name free agent (Dwyane Wade) will sign with the Chicago Bulls.
One of the trades that almost went down during the free agency frenzy was Paul Millsap going North of the border to the Toronto Raptors. According to Zach Lowe of ESPN, the Atlanta Hawks had to choose between Al Horford and Paul Millsap, and eventually chose the former when it seemed too late.
They had already signed Dwight Howard and they needed to trade assets to accommodate Horford-whom they chose because he was willing to sign a cheaper contract now than what Millsap could fetch next year. That sent the Hawks into a frenzy as Lowe described.
"They talked about Millsap trades with Phoenix, Denver, Toronto and Houston; the Nuggets were ready to flip a players-and-picks package headlined by Kenneth Faried, according to several sources familiar with the matter."
The deals fell through when Horford decided to sign with the Boston Celtics. Now Lowe warns that Millsap is now aware that the Hawks wanted to trade him and with his impending free agency, that places Atlanta in an awkward state.
Millsap would be a great fit for the Raptors who have a need at the power forward spot. The parameters of the supposed deal were not disclosed. The Hawks might have accepted what the Raptors were offering (assuming it was better than Kenneth Faried) but called off the transaction when Horford left. But they could always re-negotiate.
Toronto Raptors team site Raptors Rapture had already marked Millsap as a trade target prior to free agency. The Raptors can't be players because they didn't have much cap space and they had to address DeMar DeRozan before anything else. Thus, trading was the only way.
A trade package of Terrence Ross and Patrick Patterson along with future draft considerations could be acceptable to the Hawks. The Raptors will have the dilemma of trying to keep Millsap but they will have his Bird Rights.
Millsap could help the Raptors take the next step in the playoffs. He can match up against LeBron James, score and grab the boards. If the Raptors have his Bird Rights (which they didn't with Biyombo), they can be confident with their chances to win Millsap over with a positive team culture and team success. The same formula that kept DeMar DeRozan in the North-he didn't even consider leaving the team.