Raptors and Blazers Swap Jones for Dixon

Are you ready for this? You might want to sit down. Here goes: the Blazers have agreed to trade Juan Dixon to the Raptors in exchange for Fred Jones. Boo-yah! Okay, so maybe you won't be telling your grandchildren where you were the day the fabled "Jones for Dixon" trade went down, but that doesn't mean this is an insignificant deal.

For the Raptors, they get to tweak their bench for the stretch run, which for the first time in a while doesn't mean counting how many extra ping-pong balls they'll get after every loss. Dixon is small for a two-guard, but he is a proven scorer with range, and his contract is up after next year, as opposed to the two years left on Jones' deal.

Jones is more of a slasher, and though he's averaging 22.7 minutes per game this year, he slipped in the rotation and has averaged less than seven minutes per game in January and February. He still has upside, though, and for the Blazers there's the added bonus that he's a hometown kid -- he went to high school in suburban Portland and played four years for the University of Oregon.

All told, a change of scenery was probably needed for both players, and while minor, this should be one of those rare deals that benefits both teams -- even if incrementally.

Earlier:
Open the Floodgates: Mavs' Johnson to the Hawks
Suns Enter Kidd Trade Talks to Block Lakers