Me of course. From September: http://sportstwo.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1714854&postcount=11 The NBA is too freaking predictable. Amare becoming available at the trade deadline could be seen from a mile away.
Heh, it hasn't happened yet. And honestly, I don't think it will. I've been trying to figure out a trade that works between the Bulls and Suns and I just can't get there. The Bulls just don't have enough cap space, I think, or enough big time players to give up. * I don't think I give up Deng for Amare. Deng is signed up reasonably and is a reasonably sure thing. Amare is a high risk acquisition for several reasons. * This is very difficult because the Bulls can't make a trade that gets the Suns under the luxury tax without putting themselves over it. I don't think they'd be willing to do that. Perhaps they could by getting a third team involved, but that, of course, is getting things complicated. That's why I think some other team will be able to make an offer the Suns prefer.
I have a feeling that the Suns are going to want Thomas and Gooden. I know how reluctant Bulls fans and Pax are gonna be to trade him since he's been playing so awesome recently, but sacrifices have to be made. As much as I've loved watching Free Money over the last few years, we need Amare. In a dream world, we could get him for just Noc, Gooden and our draft pick.... I really, really hope Pax is trying to orchastrate something with Kerr. Amare likes the run and gun and that's how the Bulls are playing, he'd fit in perfectly (way more than Bosh would).
Welcome to S2, BullsKY! In keeping with MikeDC's line of reasoning... Something like Kirk + Thomas + Ruffin (and draft pick/s) gets us under the LT threshold, but keeps Phoenix over. If Phoenix wants to get under the LT threshold, DC's right there's not much we can do. If they're willing to pay more, we could throw in another $5M worth of players (Noah for example). Kirk + Gooden makes enough salary to work, the Bulls save $3M this season but Phoenix adds $2M. Again, they'd have to be willing to pay the LT, but they'd be under next season by $3M. Rose Gordon Noah Amare Deng Could be our starting lineup, with Noc and Gray and Thabo off the bench. And Hughes. Speaking of Hughes, it'd be awesome to use his big contract instead of Kirk's. But Phoenix would actually want to play him or they'd be paying the Hughes (vs. LT) penalty.
I'd personally want to dump Hinrich over Hughes. Hughes has a 2010 friendly contract, while Hinrich does not. If we were able to land an Amare type player, and lock up Gordon to a reasonable amount this summer, we could make a run at another 2010 player if we can rid ourselves of Hinrich and Nocioni. We could go after Bosh, Yao, or Tyson Chandler to complete our front court. I think all of the Bulls have to be thinking big. Rose-Gordon-Deng? That's a pretty good perimeter trio, but what are they going to do without a big man? Comes in Amare. Now all of a sudden you have Rose-Gordon-Deng-Amare. That's good? Is that good enough to win a championship? Probably, good enough, but it won't be easy. So if we could do Gooden, Thomas, Sefolosha, and Noah for Stoudemire and 2010 friendly contracts, and follow that up with Hinrich and Nocioni to Portland for Lafrentz and Outlaw at the deadline, we become the ultimate winners of the trade deadline. We will have gotten a scoring big finally, and made ourselves, with an already potent four man core, players in the biggest free agency year ever. I think Boston is the team to look at. All that's really important is that core group of guys. You don't need great depth, because once you're great talentwise, you will be able to get a lot of veterans looking for that rin, which will turn you into having great depth. This was one of Paxson's mistake. Trying to create depth with young players, who all want big minutes to claim their place in the league. These ring seeking vets on the other hand are willing to play a limited role in order to get that ring. Trading Thomas is kind of hard for some Bulls fans, because he really is starting to play better. He's averaging 1.8 BPG on the season. But a short amount of time of good play doesn't mean we should hold onto Thomas and refuse to trade him. We've seen the three C's go through hot streaks better than this in the past. Amare is only 26 years old and greatly improves our team. You have to give up Tyrus if it means getting Amare.
The best I can come up with doesn’t satisfy these requirements. Bulls trade Gooden, Hinrich, Thomas and a 1st rounder Bulls get Amare, Barbosa This is salary neutral for this year, so the Bulls don’t go over the LT. The Suns knock $8.7M or so off of next year’s cap. However, they’re currently projected at $14.5M over next year’s cap, so this doesn’t really do much for them except get them under the LT. The Bulls make for an even bigger mess by replacing Hinrich, who at least complements Gordon fairly well, with Barbosa, who’s a mutually exclusive slightly lesser clone. That seems disastrous, and Gordon would certainly walk for nothing at the end of the year. I’m not a “must keep Gordon at all costs” guy, but I think it’s a huge waste to let a talented player walk for nothing. Perhaps he could be traded immediately in a seperate trade? Say to the Thunder for Nick Collison? Or my idea from a while back to offer him for Josh Childress in a sign and trade? We end up with 1- Rose 2- Barbosa 3- Deng, Thabo 4- Amare, Noc 5- Noah, Collison Interesting… I’m not sold on this team contending though. The Suns end up with 1- Nash, Kirk 2- JRich, Kirk 3- Hill, JRich 4- Tyrus, Gooden 5- Shaq, Lopez Meh… it doesn’t excite me, at least. I don’t think they win anything this year, and without major cap space next year, they’re stuck in mediocrity.
You'd have to do two separate trades, but if the parties accepted, I'd do Tyrus and Hughes for Amare and BG and either Noc or Gooden (if they insisted) for Jason Richardson. Richardson can't be traded with anybody because he was recently in a trade. And throw in whatever cash to cover luxury tax implications. Maybe the bulls add a future pick like 2011. Richardson isn't exactly working out there and BG would be a better fit playing off of Shaq. Assuming he'd accept the move. He's more likely to get money from Phoenix as well down the road. Bulls would have Rose/JR/Deng/Amare/Noah and Phoenix would have Nash/BG/Hill/Tyrus/Shaq. Phoenix could still run with Nash/BG/Tyrus and Tyrus and BG would be better complements to Shaq who seems to still have some game left. Not sure I would really want Amare and his baggage, but maybe the change of scenery is what is needed. And Tyrus seems to be coming around.
I can't see Gordon agreeing to go to Phoenix. They're a cheap team, and they wouldn't have his bird rights. I'm pretty sure they won't have the money to re-sign him after doing those sets of trades, so that leads to an automatic veto from BG.
I tried to figure out how to make a trade work that brings in JRich and moves out Gordon, but I think it's unlikely. Even with adding in JRich instead of Barbosa, there's no way i can figure to put the Suns in a position to keep Gordon unless they simply let Nash walk for nothing. Which would be a major waste of an asset. So I can't see Gordon consenting to a trade. About the only way I can see Gordon put in a position to consent is if the Bulls offered something like Gordon, Gooden, Simmons, Tyrus, Kirk for Amare, JRich, Barbosa. That'd make it a realistic possibility for the Suns to re-sign BG, so I could see him doing it. However, that'd put the Bulls over the luxury tax, and I think it's pretty much a sure thing Reinsdorf and Paxson won't do that. I really can't see the Suns having any interest in paying Hughes $13M next year either. Like I said... I keep playing with the numbers and just cant see how it'd really work.
I think the main thing about Gordon is that he wants his bird rights, so whether or not we think he'd accept a trade anywhere, I think he wont simply because of the bird rights. Just like with what George did in the JKidd trade.
I don't think anybody wants to pay Hughes, but Phoenix is a city that can attract free agents, so being a player that year is important for them and Hughes contract helps them. And I understand BG's predicament, but those bird right's only help him in a sign and trade at this point. Since he's probably only going to get an offer in the 8 million range after this year, he'd be better off in the long run playing in a system for a year that maximizes his strengths. He'd look a lot better in Phoenix and with a one year contract, he'd be set up to cash in on the losers in the Lebron sweepstakes. I just think it would make sense for him. But Kerr may be apprehensive about putting another small guard next to Nash, too.
Hughes' contract doesn't really help them though. If they simply want cap relief, they could trade for a guy with an expiring contract, rather than a guy they don't want and have to pay $13M to next year. As far as BG, I don't know that the door is closed on him returning to the Bulls, or what he actually wants to do. And even so, the sign and trade route is a potentially important one for him, so I don't see why he'd necessarily give it up. If I were him, however, I wouldn't see going to Phoenix and playing with Barbosa there very favorably. And like you say, that'd be two very similar guys next to Nash. So could he? Sure, who the hell really knows. If he wants to, I think I'd pull the trigger on Gordon/Gooden/Tyrus/Kirk for Amare/JRich. I'd also offer to swap them Barbosa for Nocioni, which might make things more palatable for both teams and for Gordon to consent (For Phoenix you don't have the BG/Barbosa duplication, for the Bulls, you turn Noc into a slightly better contract.) 1- Rose 36, Barbosa 12 2- JRich 36, Barbosa 12 3- Deng 24, JRich, Thabo 24 4- Amare 36, Deng 12, Simmons 5- Noah 30, Gray 18, Simmons? But that leaves us really, really shallow up front. Not that I consider Noc quality depth. For the Suns, they finish out the season with 1- Nash, Kirk 2- Gordon, Kirk 3- Hill, Noc 4- Tyrus, Gooden 5- Shaq, Lopez Meh... still don't see it.
Gordon can stay in Chicago, and try to broker out a sign and trade with someone like the Knicks this summer. Something like Gordon and Hughes for Al Harrington and Jerome James and a first round draft pick. Or something of that nature. If Gordon's value is truly down at around $8 million a year, I expect him to just sign with the Knicks for a 3 year MLE, and then cash in on a big payday once the Knicks acquire his bird rights. That's something you have to keep in mind. Phoenix isn't necessarily a system that fits his strengths. You're thinking of the Phoenix of old. New York is the place for Gordon to be. He might become a 30 PPG player under D'Antoni, probably at least around 24-26 PPG. I think Gordon to the Knicks someway, somehow is what will happen this summer if Gordon decides he doesn't want to play for the Bulls. Gordon lobbied hard for the Bulls to hire D'Antoni last offseason, he is from New York, it's a natural fit. New York's plan would be a backcourt of Duhon/Gordon. What they would sell the 2010 free agents they pursue is that they have this elite scorer already here, who is a great shooter, who they can pass the ball off to and depend on. In Duhon, they will sell them a distributing point guard who will get them the ball. I think with Chalmers success in Miami, New York is Gordon's likely destination. (unless a team like Oklahoma City jumps in with a massive offer).
