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Alright, the idea of Carlos Boozer being traded in order to get the Bulls under the luxury tax has floated around for the last few weeks. Unfortunately, the proposed trade for the Raptors leaves us with some cap relief and a player in Andrea Bargnani who's porous defense in plummeting field goal percentage simply isn't a good alternative for a player in Boozer who's put up close to 20/10 since the beginning of January.
But in this proposed trade, the Bulls acquire several interesting assets. Although, I'm sure several forum members are more concerned with a Ben Gordon reunion. Here's a link to the deal.
Deal outline
Charlotte Bobcats acquire
Carlos Boozer PF
Richard Hamilton SG
Kirk Hinrich PG
Nate Robinson PG
Chicago Bulls acquire
Ben Gordon SG
DeSegana Diop C
Ramon Sessions PG
Byron Mullens C
Why the deal makes sense for Charlotte
With such a promising start to the season, it's mind-blowing that the Bobs are once again writhing on the floor of the NBA basement ready to count their ping pong balls and hope for another top selection. A core of Kemba Walker, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Gerald Henderson is a decent place to start, but with a complete lack of front-court depth (virtually zero production from Tyrus Thomas, DeSegana Diop and Bismack Biyombo) and no true floor leader, the Bobcats desperately need to shake things up.
The team statistics are dreadful -- 25th in points per game, 27th in rebounding, and 30th in assists. Boozer's addition would certainly help address both points and rebounds. He could also provide an interesting pick and roll partner for the young Kemba walker. One of the biggest issues with the way this roster is constructed is that any player the have with any ability on offense is only effective with the ball in their hands (Sessions, Gordon, Henderson, and Walker himself). Adding players like Boozer and Hamilton will give the Bobs two guys that can help the team without needing the ball on every possession.
Hinrich and Robinson are nice additions to the bench, as well. Robinson has proved he still can be an instant spark for a second unit and Hinrich would be a nice change of pace across from him -- Robinson acting as the catalyst and Hinrich as the distributor. One other unsung addition to this trade is that the Bobs, who have yet to use their amnesty clause, would be able to amnesty Boozer in the future. So if his production were to fall off before his deal expires in 2015 or they're unable to acquire an acceptable return for him in a trade, they can wash their hands of his salary.
Why the deal makes sense for Chicago
Regardless of who you ask, they'll all say the biggest issues hamstringing the Bulls is an inability to space the floor. Enter Ben Gordon and Byron Mullens. Gordon may not have lived up to this $55 million dollar deal, but he still hits 40% of his threes and can shoot his team in (or more famously... out) of a game. Mullens could be the prize of the deal. With the increased minutes he's received in Charlotte, Mullens has proven that he can be an effective shooter with surprising range and a decent ability to snag rebounds. He'll be a restricted free agent next year, so the Bulls could have to decide what kind of investment they'd like to make in him moving forward.
Ramon Sessions has the ability to step in and anchor the second unit. He, Marco Belinelli and Jimmy Butler could anchor the second unit and provide an ample amount of scoring. Diop comes in as a marginal rotation player who can slide in at center as a pinch. WIth the addition of Mullens and Diop, the Bulls go from having little front court depth to a adequate collection of guys.
The other important aspect of this trade is the financial flexibility acquired in this deal. With Diop's deal ($7.4MM) coming off the books, the Bulls have the caproom to absorb not only Taj Gibson's extension, but any potential contract they'd want to extend to Mullens. I look at it this way -- Mullens may not be the ideal option for the Bulls, but his floor spacing from the four and five would be nice, especially with Rose coming back. And for the 2013-14 season, the Bulls have a whopping $30 million coming off the books with Luol Deng, Ben Gordon and Ramon Sessions. Those expiring deals could land the Bulls some juicy assets going forward.
When you look at the canvas for the Bulls, they'd have a core roster in 2013 of Rose, Gordon, Deng, Gibson and Noah as starters and Butler, Teague and Sessions as rotation players. With no other deals considered, the Bulls would go into 2014 with just Rose, Gibson, Noah, Butler and Teague locked down for just $42.1MM. Think that might be enough space to sign another max player to go along with that core? Again, this doesn't even consider what the Bulls could snag for all of those expiring deals.
As always..... comments, questions, etc., are encouraged.
But in this proposed trade, the Bulls acquire several interesting assets. Although, I'm sure several forum members are more concerned with a Ben Gordon reunion. Here's a link to the deal.
Deal outline
Charlotte Bobcats acquire
Carlos Boozer PF
Richard Hamilton SG
Kirk Hinrich PG
Nate Robinson PG
Chicago Bulls acquire
Ben Gordon SG
DeSegana Diop C
Ramon Sessions PG
Byron Mullens C
Why the deal makes sense for Charlotte
With such a promising start to the season, it's mind-blowing that the Bobs are once again writhing on the floor of the NBA basement ready to count their ping pong balls and hope for another top selection. A core of Kemba Walker, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Gerald Henderson is a decent place to start, but with a complete lack of front-court depth (virtually zero production from Tyrus Thomas, DeSegana Diop and Bismack Biyombo) and no true floor leader, the Bobcats desperately need to shake things up.
The team statistics are dreadful -- 25th in points per game, 27th in rebounding, and 30th in assists. Boozer's addition would certainly help address both points and rebounds. He could also provide an interesting pick and roll partner for the young Kemba walker. One of the biggest issues with the way this roster is constructed is that any player the have with any ability on offense is only effective with the ball in their hands (Sessions, Gordon, Henderson, and Walker himself). Adding players like Boozer and Hamilton will give the Bobs two guys that can help the team without needing the ball on every possession.
Hinrich and Robinson are nice additions to the bench, as well. Robinson has proved he still can be an instant spark for a second unit and Hinrich would be a nice change of pace across from him -- Robinson acting as the catalyst and Hinrich as the distributor. One other unsung addition to this trade is that the Bobs, who have yet to use their amnesty clause, would be able to amnesty Boozer in the future. So if his production were to fall off before his deal expires in 2015 or they're unable to acquire an acceptable return for him in a trade, they can wash their hands of his salary.
Why the deal makes sense for Chicago
Regardless of who you ask, they'll all say the biggest issues hamstringing the Bulls is an inability to space the floor. Enter Ben Gordon and Byron Mullens. Gordon may not have lived up to this $55 million dollar deal, but he still hits 40% of his threes and can shoot his team in (or more famously... out) of a game. Mullens could be the prize of the deal. With the increased minutes he's received in Charlotte, Mullens has proven that he can be an effective shooter with surprising range and a decent ability to snag rebounds. He'll be a restricted free agent next year, so the Bulls could have to decide what kind of investment they'd like to make in him moving forward.
Ramon Sessions has the ability to step in and anchor the second unit. He, Marco Belinelli and Jimmy Butler could anchor the second unit and provide an ample amount of scoring. Diop comes in as a marginal rotation player who can slide in at center as a pinch. WIth the addition of Mullens and Diop, the Bulls go from having little front court depth to a adequate collection of guys.
The other important aspect of this trade is the financial flexibility acquired in this deal. With Diop's deal ($7.4MM) coming off the books, the Bulls have the caproom to absorb not only Taj Gibson's extension, but any potential contract they'd want to extend to Mullens. I look at it this way -- Mullens may not be the ideal option for the Bulls, but his floor spacing from the four and five would be nice, especially with Rose coming back. And for the 2013-14 season, the Bulls have a whopping $30 million coming off the books with Luol Deng, Ben Gordon and Ramon Sessions. Those expiring deals could land the Bulls some juicy assets going forward.
When you look at the canvas for the Bulls, they'd have a core roster in 2013 of Rose, Gordon, Deng, Gibson and Noah as starters and Butler, Teague and Sessions as rotation players. With no other deals considered, the Bulls would go into 2014 with just Rose, Gibson, Noah, Butler and Teague locked down for just $42.1MM. Think that might be enough space to sign another max player to go along with that core? Again, this doesn't even consider what the Bulls could snag for all of those expiring deals.
As always..... comments, questions, etc., are encouraged.
