Bulls Rumors: Why Carlos Boozer's Huge Contract Makes Deadline Deal Unrealistic
The Chicago Bulls are high on Dwight Howard, but he won't play for a team on which he needs to share the spotlight with reigning MVP and Chicago native Derrick Rose. Thus, GM Gar Forman has turned his attention to another target: Pau Gasol of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Gasol has been the subject of trade rumors all season long and almost went to the Houston Rockets in the failed Chris Paul trade. The Rockets maintained interest in the seven-foot Spaniard, but would not give up Kyle Lowry. Now, the Bulls are talking to the Lakers about acquiring him, but are going about the deal all wrong.
According to ESPN's Marc Stein, the Bulls are offering their own power forward, Carlos Boozer, as compensation. The Lakers are said to have "limited interest."
That said, I hope that upon receiving that call from Forman, Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak asked if he could call back in a few minutes, hung up and then burst out laughing. Sure, Gasol is a player who has his flaws, but to trade him for Carlos Boozer is just flat out laughable, not to mention a terrible idea.
That isn't to say that Boozer is a bad player. He's averaged 17.2 points and 10 rebounds for his career and can hold his own on the inside, despite being a wee bit soft. Still, the Lakers need to move away from this trade, and fast.
First off, the money just doesn't make sense. Boozer has three years and about $40.5 million remaining on his deal and under the new CBA, it just doesn't make sense for the Lakers to acquire him. They already have one bad contract on the books in that of Metta World Peace, so there isn't any need to take on another.
Bringing in Boozer would simply screw the team's cap, as he has talent, but isn't worth what he's being paid. His deal is very much like the one the New York Knicks gave Tyson Chandler, who signed with the team for four years and $58 million and thus turned their salary cap into a mess.
Also, Boozer is 30 years old and while that isn't "old," the Lakers need to get younger. More importantly, he isn't what the team needs. As it has been all year, the Lakers' primary need is at the point.
Thus, taking all of those factors into consideration (age, money and team needs), the Bulls should take Boozer off of the block. No team in its right mind would take on that ridiculously overpriced contract of his, even with a personal guarantee that the former Duke Blue Devil would lead them to a championship that same year.
In fact, Gar Forman should realize that his team still got to the Eastern Conference Finals with Boozer on the team last year. He may have underperformed, but the team looks better as a whole this year so perhaps it would be a better idea to hang onto him for one more year.
In the end, only time will tell.
