TORONTO - In a trade intended to maximize the value of a player, and contract, already on the way out, the Toronto Raptors swapped the partially guaranteed deal of veteran forward John Salmons to the Atlanta Hawks for guard Lou Williams and seven-foot prospect Lucas "Bebe" Nogueira, the team

TORONTO - In a trade intended to maximize the value of a player, and contract, already on the way out, the Toronto Raptors swapped the partially guaranteed deal of veteran forward John Salmons to the Atlanta Hawks for guard Lou Williams and seven-foot prospect Lucas "Bebe" Nogueira, the team announced Monday evening. Sebastian Janikowski Seahawks Jersey . Toronto will also send a 2015 second-round pick to Atlanta in the deal. Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri had been shopping Salmons and his cap-friendly contract through last weeks draft, hoping to turn him into an asset that can help the team next season. The 34-year-old can be bought out of the $7 million hes owed in 2014-15, the final year of his deal, for just $1 million if hes waived prior to Monday evening. Toronto was planing to cut Salmons prior to that deadline if a suitable trade could not be found. The Hawks are sure to do the same, saving $6 million in the process and adding to the cap space theyll have at their disposal this summer. Entering the final year of a reasonable contract that will pay him just south of $5.5 million next season, Williams is a low-risk gamble for the Raptors, hoping to add depth and scoring off their bench. One of the NBAs premier reserves when he was with the Philadelphia 76ers, the 27-year-old Williams has struggled to regain his form following surgery to repair a torn ACL in 2013. Williams averaged a career-best 14.9 points in his seventh and final campaign with the 76ers before signing with the Hawks as a free agent in 2012, sustaining the injury midway through his initial season in Atlanta. The nine-year vet appeared in 60 games last year, recording 10.4 points, his lowest mark since 2006-07. Another year removed from serious knee surgery, the hope for Toronto is that the 6-foot-2 combo guard can provide instant offence off the bench and bolster the teams depleted second unit. The Raptors ranked 27th in bench scoring a year ago. Although the acquisition of Williams shouldnt impact the future of soon-to-be free agent Kyle Lowry, as hes not considered to be a true point guard, the versatile scorer gives Toronto another option in the backcourt if Lowry or last years backup Greivis Vasquez are not retained. The move jives with Ujiris repeated philosophy of winning now while continuing to accumulate assets and build for the future. Although the Raptors should flirt with the luxury tax this coming season, assuming they re-sign Lowry, Vasquez and Patrick Patterson, they were not expected to be big players in this offseasons free agent market anyway and with Williams contract set to expire theyll still have significant cap space to work with in the summer of 2015. Ujiri had targeted Nogueira, an intriguing Brazilian prospect, in the 2013 draft but was unable to obtain a pick. Nogueira was selected 16th overall by the Boston Celtics and flipped to the Hawks before spending last season in the Spanish ACB League. The 21-year-old has one year left on his contract in Spain and its unknown whether hell be permitted to join his countrymen Bruno Caboclo in Toronto this season. Like Caboclo, Nogueira is very raw offensively and needs to get stronger to compete in the NBA but he has strong potential as a shot blocker, addressing one of the Raptors primary needs. Salmons was acquired from Sacramento in Decembers seven-player trade involving Rudy Gay, averaging 5.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in 60 with the Raptors. The 12-year vet was a big part of Torontos initial post-trade success and became a fixture in Dwane Caseys rotation thanks to his defence and leadership. He struggled with a lingering back ailment and inconsistent shooting late in the season and fell out of favour as the Raptors made their playoff run in April. Raptors forward Tyler Hansbrough had a similar clause in his contract, permitting Toronto to waive him for $1 million this weekend. However, they opted to pick up their team option and keep him around for the final year of his deal, which will pay him roughly $3.3 million in 2014-15. If waived, the savings on Hansbroughs deal would have been minimal, as they would have used the bulk of it to pay a replacement. The 28-year-old averaged 4.9 points and 4.5 rebounds in his first year with the Raptors, seeing decreased playing after the arrival of Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes. He figures to return as the fourth or fifth big man in Caseys rotation. Seattle Seahawks Jerseys . None of them was better than playing with LeBron James again. Ed Dickson Jersey . Hes just beginning to get similar results. The right-hander struggled after winning the honour in 2008 and 2009, but a retooling of his game has begun to pay off and has the San Francisco Giants thinking about the Lincecum of old. http://www.footballseahawksfanatics.com/authentic-michael-dickson-seahawks-jersey/ .C. -- Kevin Harvick won his first career pole at Darlington Raceway on Friday as he looks to chase his first Southern 500.Sunderland’s survival was confirmed with a game to spare following their 3-0 win over Everton at the Stadium of Light on Wednesday. That hadnt seemed likely in November when the Black Cats had capitulated 6-2 against the same opposition to leave them with six points from the first 11 games.But Sam Allardyce used the transfer window to great effect with the signings of Lamine Kone, Wahbi Khazri and Jan Kirchhoff proving pivotal. Sunderland safe as Toon drop Sunderland secured their Premier League status with a 3-0 victory over Everton. I think the contribution of the players we got in January was really big for this team to come out of trouble, Allardyce told Sky Sports after the game. Heres why…Lamine KoneKone was the goalscoring hero on the night with two of Sunderlands three goals and the first of which was a strike that Jermain Defoe would have been proud of - the 27-year-old Ivorian blasting the ball beyond Joel Robles to settle the nerves at the Stadium of Light.But its defensively that Kone has had the biggest impact. Sunderland have lost only 21 per cent of the games that the centre-back has played this season compared to 64 per cent without him - and the key to that has been the teams improved defensive solidity. Sam Allardyce talks to Sky Sports after securing Sunderlands safety In the 14 games prior to Kones inclusion in the line-up, Allardyces side conceded an average of more than two goals per game - 30 in total. In the 14 games hes started since, Sunderland have let in only 14 goals.With Kone coming in, were becoming a team thats very difficult to break down, Allardyce told Sky Sports. And thats giving us a platform to win games.Jan KirchhoffKirchhoffs impact wasnt quite so immediate. He endured a woeful debut against Tottenham, appearing ill-prepared for the speed and physicality of the Premier League. But the £750,000 signing from Bayern Munich adapted quickly in a holding midfield role. Kirchhoffs tackling Jan Kirchhoff has averaged 4.2 tackles per 90 minutes, more than any other Sunderland player this season. Its like playing with a third centre-back, Jamie Carragher told Sky Sports. Hes made a massive difference in there. The statistics support that view with Kirchhoff having more touches per game and making more tackles per game than any other Sunderland player. Jan Kirchhoff was delighted after Sunderlands 3-0 win against Everton I just love the way he plays, said former Sunderland forward Niall Quinn. Custom Seattle Seahawks Jerseys. He doesnt shirk any responsibility, he makes the tackles if they need to be made. He does that hard side of the game really well and hes a stylish player.Allardyce agreed when discussing the player with Carragher and Quinn afterwards. He explained: In midfield weve got stronger. Jan Kirchhoff coming in and sitting and intercepting has kept the pressure off the back four. Wahbi Khazri scored a stunning goal against Chelsea and has had a big impact Wahbi KhazriFor all the platform provided by Kone and Kirchhoff, Defoe still needed help at the other end of the pitch if Sunderland were to score the goals to take them to safety. Invention was lacking and Khazri was the man who helped to deliver it. Sunderland chances created Player Chances created per 90 Wahbi Khazri 2.3 Yann MVila 1.3 Sebastian Larsson 1.3 Jeremain Lens 1.3 The former Bordeaux winger was the last of the trio to arrive but he soon became a fan favourite. Khazri has created more chances per game than any other Sunderland player. The end product was there when it mattered too. It was Khazris stunning goal against Chelsea last weekend that helped to spark Sunderland to life in the 3-2 victory at the Stadium of Light. Four days on and the teams safety was confirmed, thanks in no small part to three huge January signings. 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