TORONTO TRADES SALMONS FOR LOU & NOGUEIRA
The Toronto Raptors acquired combo guard Louis Williams and the rights to center Lucas Nogueira from the Atlanta Hawks for swingman John Salmons and a second-round pick in 2015.
What does it give the Toronto Raptors
This is a very nice deal talent-wise for Toronto. In Williams they get a talented scoring combo guard who can play either backcourt position. He also provides solid insurance for the Raps, in case they have difficulty this summer in bringing back any of their free agent guards (including {P Kyle Lowry} and {P Greivis Vasquez}). That said, the real gem here is Nogueira, a very athletic center prospect. Also known as 'Bebe,' Nogueira has the potential to be a starter sometime down the road and should be a nice locker-room add too (when he's NBA-ready), since this week the Raps drafted another Brazilian big man, {P Bruno Caboclo}.
What does it give the Atlanta Hawks
Salmons isn't likely to stay with the Hawks for long, as he can be waived and bought out--a move that will free up over $6 million in salary for Atlanta (which gives the already-under-the-cap Hawks significantly more options moving forward). Williams wasn't a major contributor for the Hawks last season, but they may eventually regret letting Nogueira go (although they did pick up a similarly long, athletic pivot prospect this week to replace him, in {P Walter Tavares}).
Fantasy impact
Williams still has some deep sleeper fantasy appeal thanks to his scoring ability, but his value will depend on whether Lowry and Vasquez return (and on any other players who might be signed to replace them if they don't). Meanwhile Nogueira still has definite long-term keeper intrigue, but if he stays with Toronto he has also-young rising star {P Jonas Valanciunas} ahead of him. Salmons probably won't have much fantasy appeal due to his age (unless he lands on a talent-poor team and gets to start for that squad).
