Blockbuster!

Under the cover of night, we had the biggest trade of the season occur while all other SlamNation owners were still sleeping. GMs Roger and Evan burned the midnight oil and might have used some cloak and dagger tactics to consummate their deal of number-17 overall pick Joe Johnson for number-19 overall pick Tim Duncan.

Rumors swirl that Joe Johnson was headed to the land of Juba instead (possibly for Tracy McGrady) but Evan swooped in on his black horse and offered multiple time MVP Timmy D and stole Johnson from Eric-L's grasp. This is just rumored of course.

This signals a big shift in focus for the Chunky Monkeys. After two deals in two weeks, they've moved their two biggest frontline anchors -- Duncan and Okafor -- in exchange for the sweet shooting Joe Johnson and Mehmet Okur. It looks like the Monkeys are moving to put some explosive offensive talent around Gilbert Arenas and shift the burden of carrying the team squarely onto his shoulders.

The Monkeys also acquired Tyson Chandler and Rajon Rondo in the deal. Chandler should bring back some REB and BLK to make up for the loss of Duncan; with Andris Biedrins and Josh Smith still on board, the Monkeys will remain formidable around the rim. Rondo is still a project at this point, although his minutes have been increasing and he could be a nice AST and STL asset in the near future. Teaming Rondo up with Shaun Livingston could provide the Monkeys with an enviable backcourt for the future.

For Buffy, the deal was a no-brainer. Duncan solidifies a team that is laid low with injuries and while Joe Johnson is a true talent, there's nothing he does that Baron Davis, Chris Paul, Rashard Lewis, and Antawn Jamison (not to mention Jamal Crawford and JR Smith) can't do. This was a case of dealing from strength to acquire a superstar in the front court. Buffy hasn't been able to use the full services of Shaquille O'Neal or Chris Webber yet this season -- and possibly ever without the help of a time machine -- so this deal for Duncan makes a lot of sense.

With a front line that could soon read: Tim Duncan, Eddy Curry, and Shaquille O'Neal, this team will be formidable on the blocks and from the perimeter. Gearing up for a championship run takes a move exactly like this. Even though FT% is now being punted, the rewards should be huge.

And it's not like the other players acquired on the Buffy side of the trade are terrible either. Mike Dunleavy is much maligned but as a low end starter he's capable of providing the type of all-around stats that help any winning team. Nick Collison has been putting up ridiculous double-doubles (29 PTS and 21 REB on Jan 9th) for a month now and even if he doesn't keep this up, he's got value with great FG% and some BLK.

What this means is that Buffy is reloading and when fully healthy, their worst starter could be Mike Dunleavy, Nick Collision, JR Smith, or Cuttino Mobley. It's kind of outrageous. Add it all up and that makes for the deepest and most flexible team in the league.

The trade seems to be fairly evenly matched for both teams, but I'd give a slight edge to Buffy since they are primed for a deep post-season push with this move, while the Monkeys are clearly using this as another step toward transforming the look and feel of their team.

Two Grade-A fantasy superstars traded, awesome!