What Could the 2010 Summer Look Like If the Bulls Re-sign Gordon?

Deng $11.37
Gordon $8.84
Hinrich $9.00
Rose $5.55
Noah $3.13
2009 Pick #16 $1.71
2009 Pick #26 $1.12
2010 Pick #18*(100%) $1.24
Thomas RFA
Asik RFA



Players 8
Committed Salary $41.96
Cap holds $2.56 3 @ $0.85M each.
Cap Value $44.52

Projected Cap $59
Cap Space $14.48

Max Player $17.70
Remainder ($3.22)

To me, this is plenty of flexibility. Moreover, if we need more, I certainly look to move Hinrich because
1. We’ve established he plays significantly less than Gordon or Rose.
2. He’s just as expensive or moreso while playing significantly less.
3. He’s probably moveable.
4. He’s significantly older than the other guys.

In general, I think we’re best off pursuing a trade prior to 2010 as aggressively as possible. The free agent game is so stacked toward incumbent teams that even with lots of room we’re unlikely to pull off a deal no matter how much room we have. Thus, we need to not sit back, but maximize our efforts.

That is, I’d rather pull a trade now, even if it meant overpaying a bit, than sit back and assume we make something happen in 2010.

To wit, suppose we were offered two alternatives.

• One is trading Noah, Tyrus, two of our three upcoming 1sts and the Raptors’ choice of Deng or Salmons to get Chris Bosh.
• The other is sitting tight, letting Gordon walk, or signing Gordon and dumping Kirk and/or Salmons or picks to ensure max contract space.

In my opinion, I’d be much happier doing the former than the latter. Even giving up all that we’d give, we’d still have time to fill in pieces around our remaining “core” players. Most importantly, we would have quite a lot of certainty in our ability to do so. That is, suppose we’re a team of
Rose/Gordon/Deng/Bosh/Miller/Hinrich

We’d need to be scouting for a Miller replacement, but we’d still have Asik in the pipleline and plenty of MLE opportunities. Those are things that are eminently gettable almost every year.

On the other hand, inducing a max caliber player to leave his team and come to ours is something that almost never happens.

In short, a bird in the hand (a max player) is worth a huge amount more than a high-risk, low probability chance at a max player.

As a follow up to that, obviously if we can’t pull off a trade this year, the sort of plan Tyger (and I) endorse is the next best follow up. Having exactly the right amount of cap space isn’t as important as having enough to make a credible threat to allow a max player to request a realistic sign and trade. That is, have “enough” space plus the capability to make space (in this case being to trade Kirk and/or picks) and have sign and trade options (Kirk/Picks/Gordon/Tyrus) to help grease the wheels.

I’d certainly take him if a realistic deal were to be worked in 2010 or sooner, but it just seems glaringly obvious that he shouldn’t be our primary target.

1. He’s just significantly older than our other key guys. How often do you see a 30 year old guy come to a team in their mid-20s to win a title?
2. If we have an area of weakness, it’s our interior play. The relative upgrade to our team of Bosh or possibly even Amare, who are both more age appropriate to this team, over the guys they’d replace is much higher than the relative upgrade to our team from replacing Kirk/Ben/Salmons with Wade. Not that Wade isn’t spectacularly better than them, he is, but I hope you understand the point I’m getting at. I’d rather have Bosh or Amare/Deng/Gordon/Rose than Tyrus/Deng/Wade/Rose. Which, by the way, would be a team that has a hell of a time creating any space for itself.
3. Likelihood we get him. Wade has won a title in Miami, and Miami is a favored destination in the NBA. Toronto isn’t. Phoenix isn’t. The LA Clippers really aren’t (that’s just an OT shout to ask folks what it would take to trade for the rights to Blake Griffin).

because of the economy worsening and his play decline; hopefully not much.

Thinkin bout it, I really would prefer a deep team over 2 superstars/no bench…. Im not trying to cheer for the Hornets 2.0

Hinrich to the Wolves for the #6 pick, straight up.

Deng, Thomas and the #6 and #16 to the Raptos for Bosh and the #9

Wolves, give up #6 for Hinrich, rumored, seems a decent idea.

Raptors move up 3 spots in a “weak” draft, get some guys w/ good potential (if no longer “great”) and gain an extra pick for a player they’re going to lose anyway. They start re-building. If Calderon stays good for the rest of his contract, they’ll be pretty good in the next couple of years. If the suck ass, they’ll get a high pick in next year’s very good draft. They start Calderon, Harden, Deng, Thomas and Bargnani. meh, intriguing, but not exciting sounding just yet.

Bulls move their only two long-term contracts, good, but not great players. I like Thomas, Deng and Hinrich. A lot. But Bosh is better than them and I like winning more. Re-sign Gordon. Draft the best of Blair, Williams, Henderson. Starting next season, Rose, Gordon, Salmons, Bosh, Noah, w/ Blair, Miller, Tim Thomas… draft pick (Sam Young, Danny Green), whatever off the bench. It’s a good, but not great team. Probably around 48 wins, 1st round win. Going into 2010, if Bosh and Salmons opt out, and they re-sign Bosh at the max contract quickly (his cap hold will be $25 mil, but his first year salary won’t exceed $18 million), they’ll have PLENTY of money to pursue another max free agent or a number of very good complementary players. They’ll have, at most, $40 million in cap salaries/holds w/ only Bosh and Gordon on non-rookie contracts (combined, less than $27 million) and Rose, Noah, Blair, Asik, pick 24 and next year’s pick still on rookie contracts, and I’m not sure how they get that high.

Go after Wade hard. Definitely “settle” for Joe Johnson, even if at a max contract, then Ben Gordon would have a legitimate reason to come off of the bench. Find a SF somewhere. Maybe re-sign Miller at the MLE. Rose, Johnson, ______, Bosh, Noah w/ Gordon, Blair, Asik, Miller as the main guys off of the bench.

Bulls kick everyone’s ass for five straight years.

PROFIT!!! J.R. PROFIT!!!