TORONTO — The Vince Carter era in Toronto is over.

Ridding their roster of its biggest name, the Raptors traded the disgruntled star swingman to the New Jersey Nets on Friday in exchange for veterans Alonzo Mourning, Eric Williams, Aaron Williams and two future first-round draft choices.

To make room for the new players, the Raptors waived forward Jerome Moiso and placed rookie forwards Rafael Araujo and Pape Sow on the injured list.

The Raptors and Nets meet Sunday in Toronto. The Raptors were in Indiana on Friday for a game against the Pacers while the Nets were in Memphis.

There had been plenty of trade rumours surrounding Carter in recent days, but none around New Jersey. Portland and the New York Knicks had been touted as possible destinations. Fellow big-ticket Raptor Jalen Rose had also been reported on the trading block.

"It's going to be hard to replace somebody like that," Toronto forward Donyell Marshall, speaking to reporters in Indiana prior to the Raptors' game against the Pacers, said of Carter. "He was to Canada what Michael Jordan was to the Bulls. It's going to be hard."

"He's the face of Canada pretty much, Canadian basketball," echoed Raptors teammate Chris Bosh. "He's been the first icon of the Raptors. He's been a great player, he still is a great player and I think he will continue to do good, just somewhere else now."

Carter, placed on the injured list Dec. 10, is currently sidelined with an Achilles problem and wasn't eligible to return for the Raptors until Wednesday. He last played Dec. 8 in a 90-86 overtime loss at Detroit, putting up five points on 2-for-8 shooting in 18 minutes.

Carter, 27, signed a six-year contract extension after the 2001-02 season worth more than $90 million US, and will make $12.6 million this season - that's slightly more than the entire football payroll of six CFL teams.

But the five-time all-star, known as Air Canada north of the border, had been at the centre of swirling trade rumours for much of last season, which only intensified after he finally went public in the off-season with his desire to be traded. Carter said he'd grown weary of Toronto's losing ways and the uncertainty around the franchise the past couple of seasons.

Carter was also reportedly angry at Richard Peddie, CEO and president of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd., for leaving him out of the loop when the club hired GM Rob Babcock to replace Glen Grunwald.

Carter was also playing for his third coach in as many seasons in rookie NBA head coach Sam Mitchell, who has shown no qualms about benching his stars if they don't perform.

Toronto's NBA team has lost big names before. Carter's cousin Tracy McGrady bolted for Orlando in 2000 while Damon Stoudamire was dealt to Portland in 1998.

Carter is also the second star athlete on his way out of town, after talks with free-agent slugger Carlos Delgado broke down with the Toronto Blue Jays two weeks ago.

The Raptors started the season at 3-0 but slumped to 8-16, losing seven straight before a win over Minnesota prior to Friday night's game. New Jersey was 7-14 heading into their game Friday with the Grizzlies.

Carter, a North Carolina grad, is a former slam dunk champion who was once known for a taste for the spectacular. At the Sydney Olympics, he dunked over seven-foot-two Frederic Weis of France while playing for the Dream Team. He was at the pinnacle of his popularity around the league when he won the slam-dunk contest at the 2000 all-star game in Oakland, Calif.

But in recent years, he has been frustrated by injuries and the Raptors' lack of success. The Raptor's franchise player appeared reluctant to be the team leader and fans grew fatigued with Carter's seeming low pain threshhold.

At one point this season, Carter even said he had stopped dunking although he later recanted and said he was joking.

Both the Raptors and Nets have had problems this season.

The Raptors, who have been badly outrebounded in recent weeks, need muscle up front to help sophomore forward Chris Bosh. The team has looked like world-beaters at times, but more often has just appeared out of sorts.

The Nets have been trying to placate star guard Jason Kidd, who wants assurances the franchise is heading in the right direction.

The deal may force the Raptors to make more moves to free up roster space.

Mourning, 34, averaged 10.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in 25.4 minutes per game with the Nets. The six-foot-10 centre boasts career averages of 19.8 points, 9.6 rebounds and three blocks over 12 seasons with Charlotte, Miami and New Jersey.

Mourning's health is a serious issue. He was diagnosed with a serious kidney ailment in 2000 that forced him to miss most of the 2000-01 season. Mourning made an emotional comeback in 2001, averaging 15.7 points in 75 games before kidney problems forced him into retirement in 2002.

He returned but played just 12 games last season, his season shut down when he was forced to undergo a kidney transplant Dec. 19. After 10 months of recovery time, Mourning returned to Nets training camp in October and earned a full-time starting role four games into the season.

He's missed the last three games with a series of minor ailments and didn't accompany the team on the road.

Mourning reportedly stands to make $5.4 million this season, $5.9 million next season and $6.4 million the following year. He had been requesting a trade out of New Jersey for most of the season, but said he wanted to head to a contending team.

Eric Williams, 32, posted averages of 12.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and two assists in 35.2 minutes. A six-foot-eight swingman from Providence, Williams enjoyed a career-high in playing time after the Nets lost free agents Kerry Kittles and Kenyon Martin in the off-season.

He's in the first year of a reported four-year, $12-million deal.

Aaron Williams, 33, averaged two points and 1.6 rebounds in 7.9 minutes with New Jersey. A hard-nosed front-court reserve from Xavier, the six-foot-nine forward will reportedly make $6.65 million over the next two seasons.

The additions will mean a headache for broadcasters with three Williams on the squad, although Alvin Williams is out indefinitely with knee problems. Another Williams, Jerome, was traded away last December. For those keeping count, there are five other Williams in the league and a Williamson - Corliss, a former Raptor.

Babcock and Mitchell had hoped, given time, Carter would buy into their plan for the team, but that doesn't seem to have been the case. Carter has averaged a career-low 15.9 points a night through 20 games, and has looked disinterested at times, finding himself on the bench during crucial fourth quarters in a couple of games.

The 6-6, 220-pound swingman has had a roller-coaster relationship with Raptors fans in his six seasons in Toronto. He's been the top vote-getter for the NBA all-star game four times, including 2004, when he received 2,127,183 votes. But fans have grown increasingly frustrated with the enigmatic Carter, who missed 61 games with knee injuries during the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons, and has been inconsistent ever since.

Still he remains a marquee name and led the forwards in the East with 619,959 in early all-star voting.

Earlier this month, the NBA said Carter's No. 15 jersey ranked No. 17 in sales at the NBA official store in New York and on NBA.com.

Carter has received a mixed reaction from Raptors fans this season since news of his trade request, however.

Last season, Carter played in 73 of Toronto's 82 games and led the team with 22.5 points per game, seventh best in the NBA. But the Raptors faltered, going 33-49 and missing the playoffs for the second consecutive season.

For his career, Carter has averaged 23.4 points a game. He was the runaway choice for the NBA's Rookie of the Year in 1998-99.