Jose Calderon has been urged by Jay Triano to be more aggressive with his scoring.

In Sunday's loss to Dallas, Calderon had 15 points on seven shots to go with eight assists and eight rebounds.

“And he can do even more,” Triano said after team practice Monday. “I think there were a couple clips where he came off the screen in the second half and looked to be a passer. I’ve always said that you come off screens you can be a scorer. And if they take that away then you can be a passer.

“I just think sometimes he gets predictable with him coming off screens wanting to make plays rather than to play basketball.”

Calederon is averaging 9.6 points per game.

“Sometimes, the defense plays better defense, they double team me,” Calderon said. “If I got two guys with me, somebody’s open. So why am I going to shoot the ball? I just try to pass the ball to the open guy.”

Triano believes Calderon is more effective when he looks for his own offense.

“We want him to be aggressive and assertive and I thought he was in the first half [against Dallas, when he hit five of six shots],” Triano said. “In the second half, I didn’t think he was as much.

“Especially when we have guys out of the lineup, he’s got to look to pick up some of the slack scoring-wise.”

The Raptors are making Reggie Evans available in trade talks.

Evans, who recently returned from injury, has a $5.1 million expiring contract.

Toronto originally acquired Evans in a trade for Jason Kapono.

The Chicago Bulls announced today that the team has assigned the contract of forward James Johnson to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Miami’s 2011 regular first-round draft choice held by Toronto.

Johnson (6-9, 245) appeared in 13 games this season and averaged 3.2 ppg, 1.8 rpg,1.1 apg, 9.5 mpg, and shot .415 from the field. Last season, during his rookie campaign, Johnson played in 65 games (11 starts) and posted averages of 3.9 ppg and 2.0 rpg in 11.6 mpg and shot .452 from the floor and .729 from the free throw line.

Johnson played two seasons at Wake Forest and was selected by Chicago in the first round (16th overall) of the 2009 NBA Draft.

The Raptors are willing to trade one of their first-round picks ahead of the NBA's trade deadline.

Bryan Colangelo said he's willing to part with one of the two first-round picks Toronto has in June's NBA Draft.

"We might consider doing something now with the Miami (first-round pick) if the right kind of player can be obtained," Colangelo said.

Toronto's own pick is expected to be very high, but the pick acquired from the Heat will be near the end of the first round.

DeMar DeRozan says he's finished competing in the NBA's slam dunk contest until they eliminate props from the event.

Saturday night's contest, won by Blake Griffin, was dominated by a number of props and novelties.

"I think so," DeRozan said when asked if he was robbed when he didn't reach the finals against Griffin and JaVale McGee.

"I'm a dunker. Dunk contests, you go out there and dunk. I'm not into all the props and everything," he added. "I try to come out with a creative dunk and do it and go from there. My fans liked it and you can see the reaction from a lot of people afterward.

"If there's a dunk contest next year I'll do it. But not no prop dunk contest."

Griffin won this year's contest after jumping over a car.

The Nuggets are not expected to retain Danilo Gallinari, according to sources that spoke with Ric Bucher.

The Nets, Clippers, Cavaliers and Raptors are all expected to express interest in Gallinari.

Gallinari was the sixth overall pick of the 2008 NBA Draft.

The Raptors are anticipating a quiet trade deadline this week.

“I will say there’s all sorts of conversation as we always do as a matter of course,’’ Bryan Colangelo said on Sunday.

“A lot of deals have been talked about, small deals that involve tweaks to the roster. I’d characterize them as opportunity-type deals.”

After 133 games in a Raptors' uniform and 66 home games, RealGM asked DeMar DeRozan about his thoughts on the team's fan base as they have dealt with the departure of Chris Bosh and a disappointing 10-11 season.

"Their passion is definitely there," said DeRozan. "I think everybody realizes the impact of this past free agency slowed us down on where we wanted to be. It's just to get through this year and next year will be different."

DeRozan expressed support for general manager Bryan Colangelo and hopes he remains with the Raptors.

"Me personally, I love Bryan," said DeRozan to RealGM. "He drafted me and whatever happens I'll still support him. I hope (he comes back)."

DeRozan also believes the Raptors have strong pieces already in place that are worth building around.

"I know for a fact Bryan will do a great job with the key guys we have now to make us better."

DeRozan, Ed Davis and Jerryd Bayless are either 21 or 22, while Amir Johnson is just 23. Andrea Bargnani has been in the NBA since the 06-07 season, but he is still just 25.

The Raptors made sure to get some assets back in return when Chris Bosh left for Miami as a free agent last summer.

Toronto received two draft picks and a $14.5 million trade exception as part of the forward's departure.

The exception, which is now worth $12.2 million following another deal, allows the Raptors to take on that amount of extra salary in a trade under the current collective bargaining agreement.

As the Feb. 24 trade deadline approaches, the National Post writes that it will be hard for the Raptors to use the exception.

There are 10 teams with exceptions currently, while only Cleveland has one larger than Toronto.

“It’s tough to put a value on the trade exception, except to say that this year there seems to be fewer quality contracts available in the form of salary unloads because so many teams lined up to get under the [salary] cap last summer in the banner free-agent year that it was,” general manager Bryan Colangelo wrote in an email to the Post. “There are fewer [teams paying the tax] this year, as well, and most of them are contenders so [avoiding paying the tax] will be less common.

“Of course there are toxic deals available, but with good reason.”

Another reason why the Raptors are unlikely to use the exception is that they simply don't want to take on salary.

Chris Bosh will return to Toronto on Wednesday for his first game back since signing with the Heat in the offseason.

“I’m not stressed,” Bosh said in Indianapolis on Tuesday. “At the end of the day, it’s a game (and) when I get out there, that’s going to take over. I don’t stress about too many things. It is what it is and whatever will be, will be.”

Bosh left the impression that he would prefer a friendly reception, though he isn't expecting it.

“Yeah, I’d like to (be liked) but at the end of the day, I’m on another team,” he said. “I would like to (be warmly welcomed), yeah, that’s like a fairy tale ending or beginning or whatever, but that might not be the case.”

Bosh has no regrets, but he still has an affinity for the city and the franchise.

“There’s no good way to separate sometimes or move on, but you just have to put the past behind you,” Bosh said.

“At no time did I feel that I said anything degrading or bad or acted uncivilized or anything. I’m pretty happy with the way things went.”

Toronto fans have given Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady cold receptions in their return engagements over the years.

“I’m ready as I’ll ever be,” Bosh said. “We’ve experienced some times here from the crowds and pretty much it’s at every arena we play at. Guys are extra motivated, crowds are extra motivated, whether it be to talk crap or cheer a little louder, but I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. Bring it on.”

Bosh is averaging 18.3 points and 8.1 rebounds a game for Miami.

“I’m still evolving,” he said. “I’m still trying to find that fine line between being aggressive and being a team player, being how it used to be in a new system. It’s going to take some time, it might take years, months, but I’m getting better every day, I’m learning every day and as long as I keep making progress, that’s the main thing I pay attention to and worry about.”