New York Paid a Premium for Two Injury-Hit Seasons of Bargnani
The Knicks acquired Andrea Bargnani from Toronto on July 10, 2013 and sent Steve Novak, Marcus Camby, Quentin Richardson, two second-round selections and a future first-round mechanism the other way. New York was trying to add frontcourt scoring and floor spacing to a 54-win team, but the return never justified that price. Bargnani appeared in only 71 games across two seasons with the Knicks, starting 61, and averaged 13.9 points and 4.9 rebounds. His availability and overall impact were too limited for a deal carrying first-round capital.
Toronto's Best Asset Became the No. 9 Pick in 2016
The veterans were not the lasting value for Toronto. Camby and Richardson did not become meaningful Raptors contributors, while Novak lasted one season before Toronto moved him to Utah with the 2017 second-round pick. The 2014 second-rounder also carried limited direct value. The centerpiece was the 2016 first-round obligation. Because of the pick-swap structure involving Denver and New York, Toronto ultimately received the No. 9 selection and used it on Jakob Poeltl. That alone gave the Raptors a young, controllable player from a contract Toronto had wanted to move.
Poeltl Extended the Asset Chain Into a Championship Trade
Poeltl played two seasons in Toronto before becoming part of a much larger move. In July 2018, the Raptors sent DeMar DeRozan, Poeltl and a protected first-round pick to San Antonio for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. Leonard then led Toronto to the 2019 championship. The title should not be credited entirely to the 2013 Bargnani transaction, because DeRozan and the later first were major parts of the Leonard package. Still, Poeltl was a real, traceable asset produced by the first-round pick New York surrendered, and he retained enough value to enter that blockbuster five years later.
The A+ and F Grades Reflect Both Production and Opportunity Cost
Toronto's A+ is not based on pretending every outgoing piece became a star. It reflects escaping Bargnani's contract, obtaining multiple movable assets and eventually converting the first-round component into Poeltl. New York's F follows from the opposite side: the Knicks gave up a future lottery-level asset plus additional pieces for 71 games of uneven, injury-interrupted production. Even if New York would not have drafted Poeltl itself, surrendering that selection eliminated the opportunity. The completed record makes this one of the clearest asset-value losses of the era.
Final Verdict
Raptors Win — New York F, Toronto A+. Bargnani gave the Knicks 71 games across two seasons, but New York surrendered three veteran contracts, two second-round selections and the first-round mechanism that became the No. 9 pick in 2016. Toronto used that pick on Jakob Poeltl, who later became part of the 2018 package for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. The Leonard trade required far more than Poeltl, so the championship cannot be assigned to this transaction alone. The direct comparison is still decisive: Toronto converted a declining contract into useful optionality and a lottery pick, while New York received too little production for the draft capital it spent.