Does Orlando's decision to sign former DePaul star Quentin Richardson mean that they won't match the Bulls' three-year, $20 million dollar offer sheet for J.J. Redick? It's still too early to tell, but it certainly can't hurt the Bulls' chances. In the short term, the Richardson move probably means that at least one Orlando contributor won't be back next season. Here's one the Bulls should go after: Matt Barnes. Barnes has played for seven teams during his seven-year career and is looking for a long-term deal after opting out of his contract after the season with the Magic. He has stated publicly in recent weeks that his first preference would be to return to Orlando, but it's hard to imagine the Magic GM Otis Smith digging even deeper into the luxury tax to retain Barnes and Redick after signing Richardson. Whether Smith matches Redick's offer sheet or not, the Bulls still have enough money available to make a strong push for Barnes right now. He would be a good compliment to Luol Deng off the bench for several reasons. First of all, he's durable after missing only a handful of games over the past four seasons. With Deng's availability uncertain because of health concerns, Barnes would serve as a solid insurance piece. He plays with a swagger and toughness that would fit well with the attitude the Bulls tried to develop throughout last season. He has the ability to make three-pointers if given enough space, which he should have plenty of by playing with Derrick Rose. Most of all, he is a hard-nosed defender who you could easily see becoming a favorite of new Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau. http://espn.go.com/blog/chicagobulls/post/_/id/1294/while-waiting-on-redick-how-about-barnes
From the article... I think 3 years and 8 million would do it. And we should do it if we are using our cap space.
If I am Orlando, I would think Q and Barnes would be the better match. Barnes is going to get less than half of what JJ is going to get. They've got Duhon to guard 1's and 2's, and Barnes can guard 2's and 3's. Q can back up Vince at the 2 as well. I don't see where JJ is essential to Orlando at this point. I'd be really surprised if they match Redick at this point. As for Barnes, the bulls are probably waiting to see if James Johnson shows anything in summer league. Korver is already getting 2-3 minutes. Deng eats up most of the minutes at 3 and Barnes doesn't bring a whole lot offensively. I think he'd be a nice to have at this point.
