Throughout this year there has been a lot of talk about the Raptors' lack of defensive toughness which repeatedly led to breakdowns. Especially spot-up shooter Jason Kapono has received a significant amount of criticism due to his inability of keeping opposing shooting guards in front of him.

Given the urgent need of change in Toronto after a sub par season it is no surprise that GM Bryan Colangelo settled for an early off-season trade to address the issue. More specifically, the Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors agreed on a trade that sends Jason Kapono to Philly in exchange for veteran power forward Reggie Evans. Unlike many NBA trades this transaction could be one of the few that actually helps both teams in the long run. During the regular season the 76ers were the worst team in the league in 3-point percentage while the Raptors very pretty close to the bottom in points allowed per game. Thus, two-time NBA Three Point Shootout champion Kapono could help Philadelphia to spread the floor while Evans could provide a lift on the defensive end of the floor for Toronto.

In 2008-09 Jason Kapono averaged 8.2 points and 2.0 rebounds per game in 22.9 minutes on the floor, shooting an excellent 43% from beyond the arc. In contrast, Reggie Evans only played 14.2 minutes and managed to put up 3.3 points and 4.6 boards a game. However, the Raptors management believes that his stats are not representative of his abilities since he was only given very limited playing time to make an impact. Another positive side effect of this trade for Toronto will be a slight payroll cut as Evans makes about $1.5 million less a year than Kapono. Thus, the Raptors might have some additional cash in their pockets to go after free agent Shawn Marion and get Carlos Delfino back from Europe.

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