Andrea Bargnani

After an alleged temper-tantrum during a team shootaround last week, the Charlotte Bobcats are shopping guard Ben Gordon and found a trade partner to their liking.

The Bobcats reportedly showed interest in former No. 1 overall pick Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein.

Gordon, according to Yahoo! Sports, got into a heated exchange with Charlotte head coach Mike Dunlap, and team general manager Rod Higgins had to intervene. The Brooklyn Nets were the first club linked to Gordon, who could address the club's issues in their backcourt and poor three-point shooting.

It's unclear what sparked Gordon's outburst, but his minutes have been limited in Charlotte's last two games, and frustration might have spilled over due to the Bobcats last place 12-40 record.

The 29-year-old is a career 40.6 percent shooter from beyond the arc, only dipping below that mark once in eight seasons.

Long on the block, Bargnani is posting lows in points and shooting similar to his second year in the league. The Italian native is owed $33 million over the next two years, but Toronto could make the exchange straight up with Gordon’s $12 million salary this season close enough to make contracts match.

Though Stein reported the Raptors ultimately may not be interested, considering their developing talent in shooting guards Terrence Ross and DeMar DeRozan. Gordon could take minutes away from either.

Charlotte could easily absorb the remainder of Bargnani’s deal. The Bobcats will have almost $30 million of cap space next season.

Toronto is currently six games out of the final playoff spot in the East, but is not completely out of the hunt. A move for Gordon would pick up Bargnani’s slack on offense, but a strong rebounder would address a more pressing need. The Raptors are 28th the league in rebounding.

Yahoo Basketball