If he’s interested in coming to the Bulls then I’m sure we can put together a package. If he sticks to his guns and wants to play with Wade then we can do the proposed and still benefit.

really?

Step 1: Don’t deny rumors.
Step 2: Start negotiations at snail’s pace.
Step 3: Admit you’re in negotiations.
Step 4: Witness media hype. Do not deny any of it.
Step 5: Stall.
Step 6: Do nothing as media outlets state deal is imminent.
Step 7: Deny that there is any deal, and explain that the Bulls simply couldn’t dignify rampant speculation with a response.
Step 8: Miss out on said deal (i.e., any deal).
Step 9: Blame the other side for bad-faith negotiations, or blame another team for being an interloper.
Step 10: Continue to collect millions from the fans.

But Bosh will go somewhere this summer.

If you think it’s “not surprising” to say a year ahead of time that you’re going to “push for” a sign and trade of your superstar player, then I really don’t know how to respond to that.

Suppose two years down the road Gar Foreman steps out of the bunker and says of Derrick Rose, who’s up for an extension but has openly considered leaving the floundering bulls, "he’s still better served, and we’re better served if he works a sign-and-trade with us where we can get some sort of an asset back from the team that he’s going to. And, I think that’s probably the thing that we’ll both push for because he’ll benefit from it and we’ll benefit from it, and that’s why it’s probably not time to panic now and make a bad deal."

That bolded part is him telling every Bulls season ticket holder and fan “Derrick is a lame duck, and we’re going in another direction. Don’t get too attached to this guy or this team, because they’re goners.”

What kind of message is that to send?

Of course they’re going to say “we don’t have to panic and make a trade now”. But the cat’s out of the bag and you know it’s coming. And your franchise is in complete paralysis until it happens. So are you really going to wait a year?

Hell no. You can’t be serious.

There’s no reason they have to wait. Bosh will be eligible to sign an extension this summer. Everyone who’d have to agree to it next can agree to it this summer. For that matter, no team would trade for him now without him agreeing to sign an extension anyway.

;)

Option27 was referring to a sign and trade, not any trade. I thought that was obvious.

If you’re including Thomas and Noah.

Blake + Outlaw, for example, would really start to make a lot of sense as Blake is a competent replacement for Kirk’s minutes even though I suggested it, I’d be nervous about Deng holding up. Outlaw can more or less play either forward spot and would give us a good safety net.

I guess my hesitation to part with Kirk is that I do think he’s generally a very good guy to have around come playoff time.

why would he want both Noah and Tyrus when he has Bargnani, his guy. he would have depth no doubt, but it seems like it would be a waste of talent.

sign a six year extension after the trade. If Bosh makes it all the way to unrestricted free agency he can only get a 6 year deal by signing with Toronto or through a sign and trade with Toronto.

Colangelo is doing a bit of a sales job here, as most GMs do, by adding in his sixth year salary as completely extra icing on the cake.

It’s a lot like when you hear government officials complain of a spending program being “cut” when its funding grows at 3% instead of the 10% the program administrators asked for.

Because, with respect to the five year vs. six year contract, it’s pretty likely Bosh will sign another contract after he signs the 5 year one. It’s certainly true there’s a risk the sixth year will be for less than it is under the current contract. But, in the case of a guy like Bosh, the risk is pretty small it’s going to be zero.

Here’s how it works. If Bosh signs a max deal, he gets 30% of whatever the salary cap is. If it’s $60M, he starts at $18M, for example.
Suppose Bosh walks as a free agent next year. He can sign with another team for 5 years and 8% raises. So he gets a 5yr, $104.4M contract.

Age	Year	Annual	Cumulative

26	Year 1	 $18.0 	 $18.0 

27	Year 2	 $19.4 	 $37.4 

28	Year 3	 $20.9 	 $58.3 

29	Year 4	 $22.3 	 $80.6 

30	Year 5	 $23.8 	 $104.4 

If he re-signs with Toronto or does a sign and trade through them, he can sign a six year deal with 10.5% raises. That’d put him in the ballpark of:

Age	Year	Annual	Cumulative

26	Year 1	 $18.0 	 $18.0 

27	Year 2	 $19.9 	 $37.9 

28	Year 3	 $21.8 	 $59.7 

29	Year 4	 $23.7 	 $83.3 

30	Year 5	 $25.6 	 $108.9 

31	Year 6	 $27.5 	 $136.4 

Over the first five years, the cost of signing with a new team is only $4.5M, less than $1M/year. So ok, notice that the total amount he’s getting is $30M more. However, $27.5M of that difference comes in the sixth year.

Unless Bosh retires or can’t get a contract at all, at age 30 as a free agent, that $27.5M will be offset by whatever he makes under his new contract. Of course we can speculate what that amount is going to be, but my guess is it’ll be closer to $27.5M than it will be to zero. So Bosh takes a risk by walking, but he certainly doesn’t automatically forfeit $30M.

I think trading Bosh is crazy