Raps Add a Bit O' Irish

As predicted in our last post, Raptors GM Brian Colangelo followed up last week's blockbuster O'Neal for Marion swap with another minor addition finalized right before the league's trade deadline this afternoon. In a simple yet complex three-team trade, Toronto sent seldom used PG Will Solomon to the Sacramento Kings, Boston sent the Raps C Patrick O'Bryant and the Celtics received a protected 2nd round pick from the Kings.
As we discussed last time around, with the addition of Marcus Banks and the emergence of Roko Ukic, the writing was on the wall for Solomon. He'll get a lot more playing time with the Kings and has a chance to be part of their regular rotation with a young, inexperienced team.
In exchange, the Raptors get some much needed size in the 7-foot, former first round draft pick O'Bryant. He has been buried on the bench in his previous two NBA stops (Golden State and Boston), but if he's able to tap into his potential, the Raptors may have a servicable big man they can work with. With the injury to Kris Humphries and the departure of Jermaine O'Neal the team finds themselves thin on the front lines, and even if O'Bryant only comes in to give his five fouls and leave, they will get more production out of him than they got with Solomon on the bench. The kid still is a project player, but he size and if nothing else, can grab a few boards and block a couple shots for you in limited minutes. the move wasn't any of my "5 Steps to Success", but maybe the Raptors can work on those in the off-season.