Ten Best Trades in Toronto Raptors History
By Go Paolo
9. T.J. Ford from Milwaukee for Charlie Villanueva – June 30, 2006
With his first major deal, new general manager Bryan Colangelo fixed two problems with one move by acquiring a legitimate point guard in Ford and getting rid of the misplaced Villanueva.
The Raptors had a gaping hole at the position following Mike James’s departure and Villanueva was out-of-place as a small forward. Franchise player Chris Bosh was already playing his natural position at power forward.
Ford played two seasons in Toronto and averaged a career-high 7.9 assists during the 2006-07 season guiding the Raptors to their first-ever division title. Injuries and the emergence of backup point guard Jose Calderon shortened his playing career with Toronto.
Though he was a major part of the Raptors’ resurgence, he was traded during the 2008 NBA Draft to Indiana for six-time All-Star Jermaine O’Neal.
Villanueva wasn’t a bad player for the Raptors. He averaged 13 points during his rookie season and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. “Charlie V” also set franchise records by scoring 48 points and adding 18 boards, the most by a Raptors rookie in a single game, against the Bucks.
He went on to play three seasons with the Bucks peaking in 2008-09 with a scoring average of 16.2 points before signing with the Pistons.