Ten Best Trades in Toronto Raptors History
By Go Paolo
3. Marcus Camby, Steve Novak, Quentin Richardson, a first and two second-round picks from New York for Andrea Bargnani – July 10, 2013
The older this trade gets, the better it looks. Ujiri quickly made his presence felt when he jettisoned the much-maligned Primo Pasta ambassador to the Knicks. This could go down as one of the worst trades the Knicks ever made and one of the best in Toronto.
The former first-overall pick had worn out his welcome in Toronto. Though he averaged 21.4 points at one point, Bargnani came awfully short of fulfilling his potential.
The Italian lacked the passion or the leadership to be anything but a mediocre player. He was also injury-prone and only played 66 games from 2011 to 2013. To top it all off, he was atrocious on defence.
Moving Bargnani was already an achievement. But Ujiri also managed to nab a first-round pick. This ended up becoming Jakob Poeltl, who played a significant bench role for the Raptors and was also used to acquire Leonard.
The veterans were just throw-ins and Camby and Richardson were quickly bought out.
Bargnani wasn’t quite able to revive his career in the Big Apple. He only played in 71 games in two seasons with the Knicks averaging 13.9 points and 4.9 rebounds. “Il Mago” will be most remembered by Knicks fans for this bone-headed play.