The Do's and Don'ts for the Chicago Bulls Offseason
The most depressing thought about not winning it all this year for 29 NBA teams is that no one knows when next year will come. Without knowing the ins and out of the new collective bargaining agreement, it's tough to say what the Bulls' next move should definitely be. If there is a hard cap, then they would need to start shedding salary.
If there is no mid-level exception, then they could only sign free agents to the minimum, which means trades are the only way to upgrade. And they might not even be able to do sign and trades, as the players seem to be okay with eliminating that to get other benefits in the next agreement.
I wanted to lend my two cents on who would work for the Bulls (DO) and would not work for the Bulls (DON'T). Simple enough, right?
DON'T Trade for Joe Johnson
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This is one of Sam Smith's players he thinks the Bulls should trade for. Sure, he is a scorer and the Bulls need a two guard. But there are a few good reasons the Bulls don't want Joe Johnson.
1) Who do you trade for him? Carlos Boozer? Okay, I'd do that, but would the Hawks? They have Josh Smith and Al Horford. Boozer doesn't fit a need. They could swing Josh Smith to small forward, but then who is their two guard? Jamaal Crawford? Maybe Kirk Hinrich? Look, if it costs Boozer then most of these trades instantly becomes a "do." But most likely this trade ends up costing you Joakim Noah. And then you have two of the worst contracts signed last summer, Joe Johnson and Carlos Boozer.
2) Joe Johnson is an iso-guard. He is one of the reasons the Hawks offense sputters at times. He pounds the ball and takes bad shots. It would be nice to have someone who can create their own shot, but the Bulls need that player to be able to post up. Ball movement is what works in the NBA, but Joe Johnson tends to limit that despite averaging a decent amount of assists.
3) This kills any cap flexibility moving forward. You better be damn sure that Joe Johnson is the missing piece to the championship puzzle. Because you aren't adding anybody after him.
DON'T Trade for Monta Ellis
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Another Sam Smith guy. And another ball dominate guard who is the least efficient player in the league. He is stunting Stephen Curry's growth in Golden State and would do the same for Derrick Rose in Chicago. Reports are saying that it would cost the Bulls Deng to get him. Deng is a leader on the Bulls team and the second most important player on this team. I wouldn't even trade Boozer for this guy. Not that Boozer is better. But he is a better fit on this team.
DO Trade for Stephen Jackson
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A tall shooting guard who can post up smaller guards and shoot over them. A good defender, not elite, but good. An 18-point-per-game player who isn't afraid of stepping up in the clutch and a good/willing passer. He is in his early 30s and seems to have matured from his days in Indiana. Plus it doesn't seem like it would cost much to get him. The Bobcats are in cost-cutting mode. They traded Gerald Wallace, who is younger and better than Jackson, for Joel Pryzbilla (cap relief), Dante Cunningham and a first-rounder.
I think the Bulls could swing Kyle Korver, Keith Bogans (to match salaries, he'd be waived before it cost money) and the Bobcats' first-round pick back from the Tyrus Thomas trade. Another possibility is doing a three-way trade with Phoenix and sending Korver there (because with that team a knock down shooter with no D is a good thing) for Mikael Pietrus' expiring contract to Charlotte and the first-round pick. This would give Charlotte still a capable starter in Pietrus, a draft pick and cap relief as Pietrus comes off the books after next year. It would be a trial run for him.
Captain Jack would be my ideal shooting guard to target. He'd be a player who would force LeBron to cover him when playing the Bulls. Otherwise, Jackson would just post a smaller Heat player and shoot over him.
DON'T Trade for Kevin Martin
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Sam Smith's final guy. I respect Sam Smith, but I don't think he watches any other team than the Bulls. Again, I would trade Boozer for Kevin Martin, but that isn't going to happen. Pair Boozer with Martin and you'd have two of the worst defenders in the league on your team. Martin is an efficient scorer who knocks down the three and gets to the line a lot, but he would be another highly paid player riding the bench in the fourth quarter for his porous defense.
DON'T Sign Jason Richardson
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If you thought Carlos Boozer was bad in the playoffs, put on the tapes of the Atlanta Hawks/Orlando Magic first round. Richardson makes Boozer look like Dirk.
A 33 percent field goal percentage and 10 points per game. Yikes.
DO Inquire About Josh Smith
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It was hilarious how every time this guy took a jump shot the Hawks fans would groan. The whole stadium. So why would I want a headcase on my team who makes really poor decisions? Because he is an amazing athlete who can run the floor, has great vision, good weakside defense and can post up players when he wants.
The problem with Smith is that he is never going to reach his potential with the Hawks. Leadership is an underrated trait. Who is the leader on the Hawks? Joe Johnson probably, right? Well when your supposed leader, the guy making the most money on your team, pounds the ball and takes bad shots, what kind of example does that set for the rest of the team? Then you have Jamaal Crawford taking step-back fade-away threes and sometimes making them, but still taking bad bad shots. So Josh Smith thinks, okay, this is how we play.
Now put him with the Bulls. Surround him with smart, inspired hard-working teammates and I bet you Josh Smith turns it around and figures it out. And I'll give you two good reasons why.
1) Zach Randolph
2) Rasheed Wallace
Two guys who were labeled as bad seeds, headcases, but when they were finally surrounded by good players and a coach they respected, they turned it around. Randolph more so than Wallace, but Josh Smith isn't nearly as bad as Sheed.
Not sure what it would take. But I'd inquire. Maybe Boozer and Asik? Boozer and two first-rounders? If I'm taking on Smith, Boozer has to be involved in the trade. While Boozer was the scapegoat for the Bulls playoff exit, the guy is a 20-10 all-star player who had been averaging 20-13 in the playoffs before joining the Bulls.
Smith is another guy who would give the Heat trouble defensively. If the Bulls had Stephen Jackson and Josh Smith, LeBron would have to cover one of them, which would free up Derrick Rose.
DO Sign Michael Redd
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Redd has already made a ton of money. He'd be a guy I would want on this team in a reserve role. Maybe 20 minutes a night. Someone who would be able to replace Korver's role on the team as I am hoping they use Korver in a trade to upgrade the starting SG. He'd be playing for a championship with the Bulls, so I would think that he would sign for the veteran's minimum. There probably are dumb GMs out there willing to give him more, but again, since he already made his money, I'm hoping he'd rather play for a championship contender. And everything I have heard about Redd is that he is a classy guy, so I think he would fit in nicely with the Bulls.
DON'T Count on Jamal Crawford
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I'm not sure why people think Jamal Crawford is coming here. He wants to get paid. He doesn't care about winning. He cares about money. Even if there is a mid-level exception it won't be enough to get Crawford. Though I don't think there will be a mid-level exception in the next deal, and I don't think he is coming here on the minimum.
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