Wed, Jan 30, 2013 at 11:37pm

RAPTORS GET RUDY IN 3-TEAM, 6-PLAYER DEAL

The Toronto Raptors acquired forward Rudy Gay and center Hamed Haddadi from the Memphis Grizzlies for point guard Jose Calderon, power forward Ed Davis, a 2013 second-round pick, and cash. The Memphis Grizzlies traded Jose Calderon to the Detroit Pistons for small forward Tayshaun Prince and forward Austin Daye.

What does it give the Toronto Raptors
The Raptors haven't really had a clear-cut marquee star since {P Chris Bosh} left for Miami, and Gay will be that for them right away. He also fits a pressing need at small forward, where {P Landry Fields} and others have been somewhat sub-par all season. Moving Davis hurts a bit (since he's showing signs of becoming very good) but Gay is already a proven star, and getting him here for two players who started the season as projected backups is nice work by GM {B Bryan Colangelo}. Haddadi is a nice bonus, a player who has been excellent in international play and may just need a chance to play in the NBA.

What does it give the Detroit Pistons
Calderon may be just a short-term rental (since his contract expires after this season) but in the short term he should help the Pistons immensely. While second-year point guard {P Brandon Knight} should eventually be a star, he may be more a shooting guard and is still fairly turnover-prone. Enter Calderon, a savvy vet who not only will make everyone on the Pistons better, but should serve as a great mentor for Knight and in-the-doghouse {P Rodney Stuckey}. Losing Prince hurts, but this is a young team in rebuilding mode (and Detroit frees up money for this summer by moving his contract).

What does it give the Memphis Grizzlies
This is an interesting move by the Grizz, who clearly want to free things up financially. Gay was locked in for two more seasons after this one, at roughly $10 million more per season than Prince (whose deal runs the same length of time). Prince is obviously not as dynamic as Gay is, but he may be a more complementary player for low-post core stars {P Marc Gasol} and {P Zach Randolph}. Davis is the real gem here though, an affordable young prospect who gives Memphis a future replacement for Randolph (another possible eventual star). Daye is a starter talent who lost his rotation spot in Detroit, so could be a real steal (and is at the very least a proven depth scorer).

Fantasy impact
For the Raptors, PG {P Kyle Lowry} gets the biggest boost, as he suddenly gets to be the team's clear regular starter at the point. Gay should remain as productive as ever, with the only question being whether he plays small forward or power forward. If it's power forward, soon-to-return {P Andrea Bargnani} suddenly becomes a clear-cut sixth man (with {P DeMar DeRozan} moving up to small forward, and the duo of {P Terrence Ross} and {P Alan Anderson} getting more minutes at shooting guard). All that said, Bargnani likely benefits regardless, since Davis (his biggest competitor for minutes) is gone, and Gay takes significant pressure off Bargnani, replacing him as the team's new go-to star. Haddadi is now a deep sleeper to keep an eye on, but yet again faces a lot of competition for minutes. For Detroit, Calderon essentially takes Prince's spot in the lineup so expect {P Kyle Singler} to shift from shooting guard to his more natural small forward, and for Knight to move up to shooting guard (from the point). The biggest winner for Detroit may be Stuckey, who should garner some of Daye's minutes off the bench. Not as lucky may be backup point guard {P Will Bynum}, who may see fewer minutes running the show. For the Grizzlies, Prince gets a nice boost in value (since he'll likely be more of an offensive option in Memphis than he was in Detroit). It's also reasonable to give minor upgrades to Gasol and Randolph, who may see even more shots than usual now that Gay is gone. Davis goes from starting to backing up, so for the short term it's hard to see his fantasy fortunes improving here.