Kirk Hinrich in Miami, Phoenix, Or Minnesota?
It is with great pleasure we celebrate the news (that has been known for weeks) John Paxson is no longer General Manager of the Chicago Bulls, and the incoming man has decided he will attempt to re-sign Ben Gordon (please no more than $7 million or $8 million a year) and has openly discussed actually making trades that need to happen.
One of those players to possibly trade is Kirk Hinrich. While I am a fan of Kirk, I would like to have Gordon back and would sacrifice Kirk to do so. Without further ado, let's look at trade scenarios:
This works for the Bulls, as they will need to move Hinrich if they decide they want to re-sign Gordon. Even in a depressed economy, Gordon could get $9 million easily, and some crazy GM may give him more.
Haslem gives the Bulls a competent starter at power forward and someone to challenge Tyrus Thomas, whose work ethic leaves much to be desired. Wright can be a serviceable backup at a minimal cost, given the relative uncertainty at shooting guard for the Bulls. I believe Wright has had some horrible luck while in the NBA but can be a contributor.
For Miami, Hinrich is a capable ball-handler and defender at the point guard spot, which would allow Mario Chalmers to become a backup (which he should be) and be brought in slowly and ensure he develops into a strong point guard. The Heat would also ensure that Dwyane Wade doesn’t have to continue handling the ball all the time.
Potential Lineup, CHI: C—Miller, PF—Haslem, SF—Deng, SG—Wright, PG—Rose
Potential Lineup, MIA: C—O’Neal, PF—Beasley, SF—Moon, SG—Wade, PG—Hinrich
Bulls trade Kirk Hinrich to the Timberwolves for Mike Miller and Sebastian Telfair
From a salary standpoint, Miller only has one year left on his contract instead of three on Hinrich’s, and it would provide the Bulls with more reliable outside shooting and a excellent replacement for Gordon, not to mention the salary relief.
Telfair is still a work in progress and has a contract the Wolves would like to move. Likely new GM David Khan will not want to part with a lottery pick, however I feel that one may need to be given by the Wolves to make this trade work.
Hinrich would bring stability to a team in desperate need of a point guard. This trade would also allow Randy Foye to move to shooting guard, where I feel he belongs, (he’s definitely not a point guard) and strengthen the Wolves' overall lineup, and giving Khan a youthful core of Jefferson—Love—Foye—Hinrich to work with. (Hasheem Thabeet wouldn’t look to bad as the center on this squad would he?)
Potential Lineup, CHI: C—Miller, PF—Thomas, SG—Deng, SG—M. Miller, PG—Rose
Potential Lineup, MIN: C—Jefferson, PF—Love, SF—Brewer, SG—Foye, PG—Hinrich
Bulls trade Kirk Hinrich and Tyrus Thomas to the Suns for Amar’e Stoudemire
This trade would be great for both teams, not great for Suns Owner Robert Sarver. The Bulls would become a dynamic squad, finally getting that consistent low-post presence they’ve needed for years.
Amar’e would get a chance to be star on an up-and-coming team. My concern would be making sure that Amar’e would re-sign with the Bulls and that he consistently brings his A-game with a commitment to playing defense. But his acquisition would instantly throw the Bulls into the mix for the Eastern Conference Championship, at least.
The Suns would get an heir for Nash when he finally starts to break down and show his age, along with an athletic front-court player who would help transition the Suns into a new era.
Potential Lineup, CHI: C—Miller, PF—Stoudemire, SF—Deng, SG—Salmons, PG—Rose
Potential Lineup, PHO: C—O’Neal, PF—Thomas, SF—Richardson, SG—Hinrich, PG—Nash
As Bulls fan, I love the Phoenix scenario the best, as clearly these trades will fill needs for both teams and place them in better positions than they started with.
Although I’ve heard rumblings about potential trading partners in Portland and Washington, I don’t see it happening simply because the salaries won’t match.
Hinrich is the Bulls' best trading chip if they seem to think that Thomas will be the player they need (I really wish we had LaMarcus Aldridge, I hated that trade from the beginning).
Otherwise a combination of Thomas, Hinrich, and possibly Tim Thomas will allow the Bulls to be a major player in the trade market this offseason. Let’s see what the draft brings.
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