"Taj Gibson extension is 38 million over 4 years" KC Johnson just tweeted this moments ago after tweeting that Gibson had agreed to an extension. Earlier before the game sources said that there wasn't going to be an agreement. https://twitter.com/KCJHoop/status/263842237165744129
Good for Taj. He's one of the game's most underrated players and is one of the few guys I genuinely enjoy watching play defense. Given his age this was his only shot at a big contract and he got it. Of course the speculative part of this signing is what it signals for the Bulls' future intentions. In my heart I hope this means it's an "I'll Play These" kind of move and the team has committed all three of Boozer, Taj, and Noah. In the absence of an All NBA type I think it'd be difficult to do better than that trio. I hope it doesn't mean that Boozer's fate has been sealed but you can't rule out the possibility. 4/38 isn't a bargain and we'll be bumping up against that luxury tax. I'll also be curious to see if/how the contract change's the public's perception of Taj. Kirk was a golden boy until he got paid. So was Deng. It's easy to like late draft picks who find a role on the team, but not so easy to like those same guys when they become focal points of the team and you have to learn to live with their flaws and big contracts.
I agree wholeheartedly with the "good for Taj" part. I've been a fan for a while now. I don't believe that Boozer has to go because of Gibson's higher pricetag. However, I do believe that when the Bulls want to bring Mirotic over, it won't be as a 3rd string PF...one of Boozer or Gibson will need to go. One thing I particularly like about the reported deal with Gibson is that I don't believe the team overpaid. As a result, Gibson remains a tradable asset. Kudos to the front office.
