BARBOSA TO PACERS FOR A DRAFT PICK
The Indiana Pacers acquired combo guard Leandro Barbosa from the Toronto Raptors for a second-round pick in the 2012 draft.
What does it give the Indiana Pacers
Indiana has been one of the NBA's pleasant surprises in this shortened season, and they're firmly in the middle of the pack among playoff contenders. Adding the super-quick Barbosa gives them a nice ‘instant offense' option off the bench, and when / if he starts at the 2-spot, they can let {P George Hill} play more point guard (replacing usual starter {P Darren Collison}, who has struggled mightily lately). The bottom line here is the Pacers get a nice boost on offense, while adding a contract that expires at the end of this season.
What does it give the Toronto Raptors
Besides dumping some salary for the rest of the 2011-12 campaign, the Raps add another solid building block (in the draft pick) to their ongoing youth movement. They risked losing Barbosa to free agency this summer, and with {P Gary Forbes} seemingly ready for a bigger role on the Raps (now that {P Linas Kleiza} is healthy and can play regularly at small forward) moving Barbosa was a no-brainer.
Fantasy impact
