Chicago Bulls Should Have a Fire Sale

[waldo7239117]

The Chicago Bulls have not been playing good all year and are a long-shot from beating the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat to march into the championship game. With Derrick Rose out for the remainder of the season; the Bulls should blow it up. Even with Rose, the Bulls are not a championship team. Right now is the best time to start over. The 2014 NBA draft class has a lot more talent that in recent year and the Bulls should try and draft highly-touted players. Also, the 2014 free agency class has high-tier players and with the Bulls shedding contracts, they could easily sign good free agents. By the Bulls drafting good players and signing good free agents, the Bulls can compete next year and compile a championship team.

Players I would keep are Derrick Rose (obvious), Jimmy Butler, Marquis Teague, Tony Snell and Eric Murphy. I’m still high on Teague and if he gets regular playing time, I think he will shine. I am a huge Butler fan and should be on this team for a long time. Snell and Murphy haven’t played, so there’s no reason for them not to be on the team next year.

The Bulls also have the rights to Nikola Mirotic of who is overseas. There is a great chance he will come over and be on the Bulls roster next year. He is completing tearing up the league overseas and is ready for the NBA life. The Bulls and Mirotic would have to work out a contract, however. But both sides will and he’ll ultimately take Carlos Boozer’s spot on the roster.

If I am Gar Forman and John Paxton, everyone is in play besides the players I mentioned above. But just don’t give them away for nothing and get value back (depending on player).

Luol Deng: Deng is in his last year of his contract and could walk after the year. I have the feeling that the Bulls won’t re-sign Deng and he’ll be on another team come next year. Instead of letting Deng walk for nothing, the Bulls would be smart to get a return for him. If the Bulls try to trade him as soon as possible, they could get a better return. The Bulls will hope to get a draft pick in return (1st) or a young player. The Bulls could also take an expiring contract in return as well to fit the money exchange.

Joakim Noah: Noah being dealt is a long-shot, but if a tam offers 1st round picks and/or young players in return, I would definitely think of trading him. The 1st round picks would have to be higher in the draft and not late draft picks. But the chances of Noah being dealt are slim-to-none.

Carlos Boozer: The Bulls will shop Boozer, but will any team trade for him? The Bulls probably won't get a 1st round pick for him. but expiring contracts in exchange for him. If the Bulls aren't offered expiring contracts and players that are on contract for next season, don't trade him! Unless they are young player of whom can help the Bulls win games and help the future. If Boozer stays the whole season, he'll like be amnesty in the off-season. Then Boozer's contract won't be on the salary cap for next season.

Taj Gibson: I'm a big Gibson fan and if you can't get a 1st round pick or younger upcoming players, you don't trade Gibson. Plain and simple! He's a great defender, rebounder and his offense has improved a lot.

Mike Dunleavy Jr.: Dunleavy has been a huge disappointment and another lame-duck signing by Forman/Paxton. Dunleavy has made shots, but he can't make shots when the Bulls are trying to come back or to take the lead. That is a shooter the Bulls need and he's not one. I didn't get the signing at first and still don't. The Bulls won't get anything of value back for him and I would just be happy for the Bulls to get his contract off the books for next season. The Bulls have to stop signing these average players and try to make moves for bigger names.

Kirk Hinrich: Hinrich is a free agent after the season and I don't know if he'll return. If I'm the Bulls, I would potentially let him walk if he won't take the minimum deal. He's a backup, but that's all. I do think a team will have interest in him and he could be traded.

Other players Mike James and Nazr Mohammad won't get anything in a trade and no team will have interest in either player, so there's not point to mention them as a player of whom should be shopped.

The Bulls could very well have another 1st round pick from the Charlotte Bobcats. If the season ended today, the Bulls will have the Bobcats 1st round pick. The Bobcats are in the playoffs as of now and the 1st round pick is protected-10. As the Bulls will get the pick if the Bobcats pick number 11 and higher.

If the Bulls are able to shed salary and pick up draft picks, we could see a great team next year. But again, we're talking about the Bulls front office and their not big on making big moves. In reality, the Bulls don't want to win and bring a championship back to Chicago.

If you were Mr. Forman and Mr. Paxton, what would you do with the current Bulls team?

http://www.chicitysports.com/2013/11/25/chicago-bulls-should-have-a-fire-sale/

 

[Scoot26]

I would agree with the firesale but we're going to have trouble getting there.

Right now the Bulls would have the 18th pick, while the Bobcats would give us the 13th pick...


League in order (by record)
1. Utah
2. Milwaukee
3. Brooklyn (Pick goes to Atlanta)
4. New York (Pick goes to Denver)
5. Cleveland
6. Sacramento
7. Orlando
8. Boston
9. Washington
10. Detroit
11. Philadephia
12. Toronto
13. Charlotte (Goes to Bulls if not top 10)
14. Denver (Goes to Magic)
15. New Orleans (Goes to Philadelphia)
16. Lakers
17. Minnesota (Goes to Phoenix if not top 13)
18. Chicago

As you can see we have a long ways to go. Utah and Milwaukee are for sure to be the worst 2 teams. I think the Knicks and Brooklyn eventually get their act together especially since their picks belong to others.

 

[Raskolnikov]

I would trade only Heinrich, Deng, Nazr because they are veterans who will help us win games, but aren't part of the long term going much further forward.

Deng is iffy, because right now he is a big piece, but soon to fade in all liklihood with his body issues. He keeps trucking though. Removing them allows a lineup of

Teague, Butler, Snell, Taj, Noah, Murphy, Dunleavy to get a bulk of minutes and learn to play together. Limit Noah and Boozers minutes this year and experiment with small lineups.

If you can get something for Boozer, great, but I think his best value is riding out his contract, especially with our lack of big man depth. We need him until we don't, which isn't now.

Or....we could trade for Nate Robinson and make a championship run, knowing we added Dunleavy and Deng and a healthy Noah and better Butler to what a now older heat knocked out last year.

 

[Probie2429]

I don't see how a lottery team is going to trade for Deng. More likely you will get one of the teams battling for the 5-8 spots in the playoffs in each conference calling on Deng. Teams like the Knicks and Nets might get super desperate if they remain where they are, but they don't have 1st round picks this year from the looks of it. Bulls might already end up with 2, 1st rounders so maybe stashing one for next year wouldn't be a bad idea anyway.

I think a good landing spot for Deng might be the Pistons. They need a veteran presence, and the team is desperate to make the playoffs even if they are 1st round and out. It would be a good building block for the club. They also have expiring contracts in Villanueva and Stuckey that would help match up the salaries.

Even the Bobcats are a good trading partner. Ben Gordon makes about the same amount of money as Deng and is an expiring contract. Obviously the Bulls own a Bobcats 1st rounder as it is. Add another one on the pile.

 

[Probie2429]

Noah might be a good fit for Golden State. Warriors can send Bogut back as an expiring contract, 2 first round draft picks, and Festus Ezeli for example. Ezeli could provide that shutdown defensive center Thibs likes to have in his back pocket to close out the game.

 

[PolarBear]

Trade Deng to Dallas for Marion, Carter and a 1st round pick. Marion and Carter expire while we get a late first round pick. Trade Gibson to SA for Diaw, Baynes and a 1st round pick as well.

Noah isn't going anywhere and I don't want him to go either.

If the Bulls can get 3 1st round picks and also have the ability to bring in a star player through FA...the future will be much brighter in Chicago.

 

[Crystallas]

Trade Noah to OKC for Kendrick Perkins
Trade Luol to Detroit for Kyle Singler.
Trade Derrick to Orlando for Jameer Nelson.
Trade Butler to Milwaukee for Zaza Pachulia

And if the Bulls are really serious about blowing things up. Try to get Mike Brown from Cleveland.

 

[Axl Rose]

hell i'll take top 10 pick over a first round exit

 

[JosMin]

The idea that any projected lottery team is going to be willing to hand over a pick that could give them a foundational draft pick is laughable. This is easily the deepest draft since 2003 and potentially the deepest draft since 1984. I personally feel like there are five franchise-defining players available (Wiggins, Parker, Randle, Exum, and Smart) plus a slew of other starter-quality and rotational guys. I don't see a team like Utah or Cleveland giving up an unprotected first-rounder for next year, despite the fact they're both in need of perimeter defense and veteran leadership, something the Bulls could offer up with Luol Deng's expiring deal.

Again, is a Luol Deng rental worth giving up the chance to draft somebody like Andrew Wiggins? I highly doubt it. I wrote an article yesterday (read it here) that pretty much spelled out the Bulls immediate future -- if we're going to start overhauling the roster, it needs to be after the season is over. If last year is any indication, we're going to land somewhere between 40 and 50 wins, and get trounced in the playoffs. Even with Rose back, our offense was laughable. With him gone.... I don't even want to think about how many 78-point nights we're going to throw up between now and April.

If the front office is truly savvy, they'll have the chance to really make some splashes. Let Deng and Hinrich walk (unless they can somehow trade them during the season), unload Carlos Boozer's expiring deal (nearly $17 million) instead of amnestying him -- trust me, the expiring deal is going to be attractive to somebody looking to unload deals. If Rose comes back healthy, use that $35 million to put a few pieces around him. With Noah, Butler and Gibson still there, the Bulls could recreate a roster that could challenge the Pacers and Heat once again in the East. As presently constructed, we're a shinier version of the Bucks -- good enough to make the post-season, not good enough to make the conference finals.

 

[Scoot26]

Teams like the Knicks and Nets might get super desperate if they remain where they are, but they don't have 1st round picks this year from the looks of it.

The Nets don't have a first round pick until 2019 lol. The Knicks do have a 15 and 17 not 14 or 16.

 

[Scoot26]

After last night, maybe the Bulls are on their way to tanking..unintentionally.

Simply put, they have no one who can score offense for them now. So they'll get in a defensive battle but if any other team has the hot hand, they're going to win the game. Deng put on his best 4th quarter performance of the year, but that was all she wrote. The team completely died in OT.

 

[Parade_Rain]

I'd keep Noah, Butler and Gibson. Other than that...trade away for picks.

 

[RC_Skinny22]

I would go with:

Rose, Hinrich, (Teague)
Snell
Butler
Gibson, Mirotic, (Murphy)
Noah

for the next season.