Dixon, a six-year veteran, is averaging 4.3 points in 12 minutes a game, having played in 36 of Toronto’s 52 games. His addition gives the Pistons a glut of guards – seven – and a relative lack of depth in their frontcourt. But that situation could change very shortly.

The Pistons have the option of cutting one of their spare guards and adding a big man currently a free agent. The likeliest scenario? Flip Murray, who hasn’t played in two months, could be bought out of his contract at little cost – it’s due to expire at the end of this season – and Dale Davis, who played for the Pistons last year and is free to sign with any team, could be signed as veteran big man insurance.

Dixon gives the Pistons another veteran scorer off a bench that’s filled with young players. Of Detroit’s second unit – rookie guards Rodney Stuckey and Arron Afflalo, third-year inside players Amir Johnson and Jason Maxiell and small forward Jarvis Hayes – Hayes is the veteran of the group at 26. Dixon, 29, is versatile enough to play both guard positions.

Dixon would represent a significant upgrade over Murray as both a defender and a perimeter shooter, though Murray is a superior one-on-one player who can get to the basket and create his own shots. Dixon’s ability to adequately handle the ball and run an offense would give the Pistons the comfort zone they would need to let go of Murray, who provided insurance at the point in the event of injury to either Chauncey Billups or Stuckey. The Pistons hope to avoid a situation that would require them to make Lindsey Hunter a part of the rotation on a full-time basis, preferring to save him for situational duty in the playoffs.

Dixon is versatile enough to play both guard positions, though he’s primarily a shooting guard. Slightly built, the 6-foot-3, 174-pound Dixon is shooting .436 shooter from the 3-point arc this season.

Dixon teamed with Steve Blake and Chris Wilcox to lead Maryland to the 2002 NCAA title and was a first-round draft choice of the Washington Wizards that season. He played three years with the Wizards before signing with Portland as a free agent prior to the 2005-06 season. In his first year with the Trail Blazers, Dixon had his best NBA season, averaging 12.3 points a game.

This makes the second straight year Dixon was dealt at the trade deadline, being sent to Toronto last Feb. 22 in a deal for Fred Jones and cash.

“We are pleased to add Juan Dixon to our roster,” Pistons president Joe Dumars said. “We feel Juan will add quality depth at the guard position both offensively and defensively. We also appreciate the hard work and professionalism that Primoz Brezec displayed during his time with our club.”

Both Dixon and Brezec are on the final seasons of their contracts, so the trade will not affect the Pistons’ financial flexibility in the off-season.

That was the primary motivation behind the trade that brought Brezec, along with Walter Herrmann to the Pistons on Dec. 14 in exchange for Nazr Mohammed, whose contract had three years beyond this season at nearly $20 million total. In 17 games with the Pistons, Brezec averaged 1.6 points and 1.1 rebounds in 5.8 minutes a game. He had fallen to the bottom of the big man rotation behind Amir Johnson and Herrmann.

It’s the second trade the Pistons and Raptors have executed since last summer. The Pistons sent Carlos Delfino to the Raptors in June for a pair of future second-round draft picks.