Excellent write up. Just to give some hard numbers on "Why would some idiot team trade for Lonzo Ball"?
On paper, Lonzo's contract remaining contract value is about $42M.However, due to the insurance payout, the Bulls will actually only have to pay about $8.4M.
So if the Bulls traded Lonzo to say, Atlanta for Clint Capela, who is also owed about $42M, this would effectively be writing a check for $33.6M to the Hawks.
The Bulls, like physical systems, follow the principle of least action. Pay whatever it takes to bring everyone back, string the public along that Lonzo will be back "soon", and AK can go on vacation before June.
I say go for the trade...break up the team and restart. Shame..because like the Rose era, we have a really nice team but they just cant be healthy enough to compete
I know this is not what they will do, but they need to go for the career ending injury exclusion. He most likely will not ever play again. Even if he does, his current contract will likely only get them a limited ramp up year in his option year. Just cut bait.
Since the Bulls won't pay the tax, it seems to me that the Disabled Player exception would be a way to stay over the cap without having to re-sign Vuch to a deal they don't really want to do. Currently, there is extra incentive to re-sign Vuch because you wouldn't be able to sign a replacement free agent with the same salary (being over the cap). Disabled Player would essentially allow you to decide you'd rather have a free agent than Vuch. I could be mistaken on how this works, no hurt feelings if someone corrects me.
"This was Arturas Karnisovas last month, either lying or admitting incompetence when asked about how he handled Lonzo Ball’s injury prognosis last season"
Can't it be both? This man is...
1) Blindly prideful to the point of being misanthropic towards Bulls fans
2) Incompetent as shown in almost all of his moves so far as manager of the Bulls
3) Not subject to almost any accountability to his superiors
It's very similar to how they found a way to hardcap themselves by signing kirk hinrich for the mle and letting korver go to the Hawks as a free agent vs just doing a sign and trade. And as mentioned, with how the bulls media is just an extension of the org, we won't ever hear anything on the bulls getting the insurance money.
Option 3 is the option I think most teams that want to compete would pursue and option 2 is the clear best move. Even if the negotions for option 2 take time, beyond this off-season, I think it's beneficial for the Bulls to pursue to have a chance to truly build something starting at the deadline.... That's too much work so they'll never explore option 2
I was annoyed when the Bulls let the Vooch trade go rotten the only way it could. Now they won't punt and rebuild. I hate rebuilding BUT for all the time and effort in Pat Will, maybe it's time to see what he can do with the offense geared to him. Instead we're gonna get a half-loaf of a season... again.
They should have applied for the career ending exception as soon as he had his 3rd surgery. At this point I can't blame AK. Its Reinsdorf. Its part of the reason I've started following the Suns so much more closely. The Suns were cheap, but they were smart. Now they might not be cheap anymore. The Bulls are dumb and cheap. Its a terrible combo.
The extent to which one of the most iconic sports franchises in the entire world has been abused and neglected by its owners is astounding. I hate Jerry Rheinsdorff with the heat of 10,000 suns.
man i feel like the career ending exception is such a bummer even if everyone knows it is probably right. it is designed to put the team in a bad light, even if determined by a 3rd party, except in the case of like Chris Bosh where they had already mutually parted ways.
trying to fully bake the trade ideas, I thought Dallas could be interesting, where they may look for cap space this summer to where gaining it would be 'worth' tying up $20M to Lonzo.
But more likely they can't have functional cap space and re-sign Kyrie. They could work out a deal for Lonzo that saves them money under the tax, but then would reduce their flexibility, might as well use those parts instead to get actual players
for the record, I was thinking Ball+Drummond for Bertans+McGee+Bullock, which saves Dallas ~$9M next season
If the Bulls and AKME had thoughts of being competent, the wheels would already be turning on Option 2; this is clearly best for the future flexibility in the event they actually wanted to build toward being relevant.
I think the next best option is to explore a trade. Of the ones that have been floated in the thread, the Detroit one sounds like it could be mutually beneficial, as the Bulls should have at least one youngish big on the roster...I assume that Lonzo could be traded in a package? Him and Derozan combine for $48M or so next year, so what about a deal to Atlanta for Capela and Murray? Or Minnesota for Gobert and Anderson?
I think the more likely option is they apply for the DPE and use it to re-sign Pat Bev in the name of continuity...and they just keep shuffling the deck or something...
All these options suck.
We're totally getting Ben Simmons, aren't we?
Excellent write up. Just to give some hard numbers on "Why would some idiot team trade for Lonzo Ball"?
On paper, Lonzo's contract remaining contract value is about $42M.However, due to the insurance payout, the Bulls will actually only have to pay about $8.4M.
So if the Bulls traded Lonzo to say, Atlanta for Clint Capela, who is also owed about $42M, this would effectively be writing a check for $33.6M to the Hawks.
That's a lot of money.
The Bulls, like physical systems, follow the principle of least action. Pay whatever it takes to bring everyone back, string the public along that Lonzo will be back "soon", and AK can go on vacation before June.
I say go for the trade...break up the team and restart. Shame..because like the Rose era, we have a really nice team but they just cant be healthy enough to compete
I know this is not what they will do, but they need to go for the career ending injury exclusion. He most likely will not ever play again. Even if he does, his current contract will likely only get them a limited ramp up year in his option year. Just cut bait.
Since the Bulls won't pay the tax, it seems to me that the Disabled Player exception would be a way to stay over the cap without having to re-sign Vuch to a deal they don't really want to do. Currently, there is extra incentive to re-sign Vuch because you wouldn't be able to sign a replacement free agent with the same salary (being over the cap). Disabled Player would essentially allow you to decide you'd rather have a free agent than Vuch. I could be mistaken on how this works, no hurt feelings if someone corrects me.
"This was Arturas Karnisovas last month, either lying or admitting incompetence when asked about how he handled Lonzo Ball’s injury prognosis last season"
Can't it be both? This man is...
1) Blindly prideful to the point of being misanthropic towards Bulls fans
2) Incompetent as shown in almost all of his moves so far as manager of the Bulls
3) Not subject to almost any accountability to his superiors
Option 1 is the bulls wet dream.
It's very similar to how they found a way to hardcap themselves by signing kirk hinrich for the mle and letting korver go to the Hawks as a free agent vs just doing a sign and trade. And as mentioned, with how the bulls media is just an extension of the org, we won't ever hear anything on the bulls getting the insurance money.
Option 3 is the option I think most teams that want to compete would pursue and option 2 is the clear best move. Even if the negotions for option 2 take time, beyond this off-season, I think it's beneficial for the Bulls to pursue to have a chance to truly build something starting at the deadline.... That's too much work so they'll never explore option 2
I was annoyed when the Bulls let the Vooch trade go rotten the only way it could. Now they won't punt and rebuild. I hate rebuilding BUT for all the time and effort in Pat Will, maybe it's time to see what he can do with the offense geared to him. Instead we're gonna get a half-loaf of a season... again.
They should have applied for the career ending exception as soon as he had his 3rd surgery. At this point I can't blame AK. Its Reinsdorf. Its part of the reason I've started following the Suns so much more closely. The Suns were cheap, but they were smart. Now they might not be cheap anymore. The Bulls are dumb and cheap. Its a terrible combo.
The extent to which one of the most iconic sports franchises in the entire world has been abused and neglected by its owners is astounding. I hate Jerry Rheinsdorff with the heat of 10,000 suns.
The AK column is on point.
man i feel like the career ending exception is such a bummer even if everyone knows it is probably right. it is designed to put the team in a bad light, even if determined by a 3rd party, except in the case of like Chris Bosh where they had already mutually parted ways.
trying to fully bake the trade ideas, I thought Dallas could be interesting, where they may look for cap space this summer to where gaining it would be 'worth' tying up $20M to Lonzo.
But more likely they can't have functional cap space and re-sign Kyrie. They could work out a deal for Lonzo that saves them money under the tax, but then would reduce their flexibility, might as well use those parts instead to get actual players
for the record, I was thinking Ball+Drummond for Bertans+McGee+Bullock, which saves Dallas ~$9M next season
If the Bulls and AKME had thoughts of being competent, the wheels would already be turning on Option 2; this is clearly best for the future flexibility in the event they actually wanted to build toward being relevant.
I think the next best option is to explore a trade. Of the ones that have been floated in the thread, the Detroit one sounds like it could be mutually beneficial, as the Bulls should have at least one youngish big on the roster...I assume that Lonzo could be traded in a package? Him and Derozan combine for $48M or so next year, so what about a deal to Atlanta for Capela and Murray? Or Minnesota for Gobert and Anderson?
I think the more likely option is they apply for the DPE and use it to re-sign Pat Bev in the name of continuity...and they just keep shuffling the deck or something...
Great read 👍