Utah Jazz Hope Chicago Bulls Cruise For Carlos Boozer

I want to welcome everyone to the maiden voyage of the “Doctor Trade” column here on Bleacher Report. I won’t go into any lengthy introductions, as you can find that information on my profile page. 

In today’s first article, I want to start with a hypothetical trade that had some real potential, apparently lost its way, and needs to be revisited by the teams involved. I’ll try to present the background and argument for this trade in a systematic and unbiased fashion; this will hopefully be the norm for proposed deals in the “Doctor Trade” feature. 

As will always be the case, comments and feedback are welcome!

PROPOSED DEAL:

Chicago gets: Carlos Boozer (from Utah)

Utah gets: Tyrus Thomas (from Chicago)

Memphis gets: Jerome James’ expiring contract, enough cash to buy out said contract, and a 2^nd round pick (from Chicago)

BACKGROUND: 

It’s not too often that a team would be visibly unhappy to have their perennial “low-block” 20 and 10 All-Star and Olympian choose not to play the market, and in doing so not up the price on his restricted contract. 

It’s even more odd that when that “under 30” player gets pushed out the door onto the trading block, there really doesn’t seem to be that many takers for him.

Carlos Boozer’s current situation is one of the most obvious examples of the new NBA economy and its tight budgets. Most teams don’t have the extra money to spend on him, and frankly, when you look at many of the league’s current rosters, there are actually quite a few good starting power forwards that have their spots locked down for the next few years.

One still has to ask the question, “How did it come to this in Utah?” Boozer, while being reputed as an injury-prone player (especially early on during his Jazz tenure), has actually been on the floor more often than not during the last three seasons.  When healthy, his numbers speak for themselves, he’s had a good chemistry with All-Star teammate, Deron Williams, and his game seems to fit Jerry Sloan’s offense quite well. 

Why would the Jazz, when it comes to Paul Millsap, be bending over backwards to pay only $2 million less per year for a guy who, while being a fan favorite with his high motor and offensive glass work, has not yet proven himself as a full-time starter?

The answer to those questions is the flip side to the Boozer coin. It is common NBA knowledge that Carlos Boozer has never really portrayed himself as a “team-first” guy.  He’s never been an overtly selfish teammate or irresponsible citizen, yet he’s never shied away from letting everyone know that the NBA is simply a business to him.

Having lived in Utah myself this past year (a long story, don’t ask), I watched Carlos alienate a large portion of the Jazz faithful by sitting out the first 2/3 of the season with what seemed to be a minor injury (a common occurrence for Boozer since he came to Utah), by speaking in blatant terms that ranged from flippantly non-committal to outright defection regarding his future in Utah, and by then turning around and “opting-in” to the final year of his deal.

One can by no means blame the Jazz’s underwhelming eighth place finish and speedy first round exit solely on Carlos. After all, he was their most statistically productive player during their five-game series with L.A. 

However, there are many who feel like the distractions caused by Boozer’s injury and contractual flip-flopping created a distraction for what was without question the deepest roster that Jerry Sloan has ever had. 

For a coach who’s always used a punishing, physical style and enviable execution to hide his roster’s annual lack of overall talent, last season was a disturbing aberration for such a talented group to be oftentimes so unfocused and “soft”.  To that point, Paul Millsap earned both the fans and, more importantly, Jerry Sloan’s respect by being dialed in and revved up every minute of every game that he’s been on the floor since he came to Utah. 

That he may not be as talented as Carlos Boozer seems to be a fairly well-accepted fact, but Jerry Sloan is notorious for only wanting “his type of guys” on the roster, and Millsap has filled that role increasingly well.  For all his positive contributions once he made it onto the court, Carlos permanently punched his ticket out of Salt Lake City last year. 

TRADE RATIONALE:

Many NBA writers have been quick to point out that the Utah Jazz don’t need to move Carlos Boozer until the trade deadline if they want to avoid the dreaded luxury tax line. This is true, but not all that fiscally responsible. While the Jazz can take out their rumored bank loan to match Portland’s “poison-pill” offer to Millsap, and then trade Boozer during the season, it still leaves two enormous questions unanswered:

1. What guarantee is there that come the trade deadline there will be teams left with enough cap space and/or the desire to facilitate a deal like this? Right now, only Portland, Oklahoma City, and Memphis seem to have enough open money to take on Boozer’s deal, while sending smaller contracts back to Utah for cap relief. 

At the trade deadline, will OKC or Memphis likely be contending for a playoff spot and want to roll the dice on renting Boozer for a few months, knowing that he is unlikely to re-sign back into either of those markets? No and no.

Barring a serious injury to LaMarcus Aldridge, is Portland going to take on Boozer for a few months when neither he nor Aldridge could, would, or should come off the bench? Not likely at all. 

Portland’s not going to do Utah any favors if Millsap comes back to the Jazz, and the Griz and Thunder are not going to be logical takers at the deadline. What’s more, while Boozer’s contract does expire at the end of the year, which might be attractive to other teams, Utah is looking to get out of paying that money. 

They will not be one of those clubs looking to snatch up another cap casualty player to grant the other team relief. Logic says that there will be less open cap space league-wide to facilitate a salary-dump like this. Gambling that there would be the same or even more money available is neither realistic nor responsible. 

2. Carlos Boozer had a quantifiable negative effect on the Jazz locker room and team chemistry last year. How much more disinterested and distracting do you think he could be if he is asked to play out the first few months of the season, while waiting for a deal to go through? 

The Jazz aren’t talented enough to ask him to sit out until they deal him, they could detonate their focus and chemistry if they try to bring Boozer off the bench, or they could hamper Millsap’s development and confidence by allowing Boozer to start at a power forward spot that is being reserved for the player who’s clearly earned it in management’s mind.

The long and short of it is that a deal needs to be made before the season begins.  The Jazz need to get Boozer out of town, gain the necessary cap relief to accommodate Millsap’s new contract, and they sure would like to get something back in return, if possible.

For Chicago:  They get a low post scorer who not only fills a need, but fits into their system and their market remarkably well.  Carlos Boozer’s ego can come into the big city of Chicago and feel like he’s the No. 1 guy on a young team. 

Yet, the weaknesses in his game would be effectively hidden by the shot blocking of Joakim Noah and the mid-range scoring of Luol Deng and John Salmons.  Boozer also needs a talented, driving passer to set him up for beneficial offensive looks, and Derrick Rose can certainly fill that job. 

This deal allows the Bulls to get rid of the enigmatic Tyrus Thomas, and instead of losing Kirk Hinrich’s backcourt depth, (as the rumored Utah-Portland-Chicago deal would have required), they simply pay the buyout money for Jerome James’ contract and give away 2^nd round pick.

For Utah: Tyrus Thomas for Carlos Boozer straight up is obviously not a fair trade, but at least it’s something, and it fills a Jazz need in the meantime. While Tyrus Thomas does not seem like he would be a “Jerry Sloan guy”, he would certainly add some of the athleticism and front court depth that the Jazz clearly still lack. 

With Millsap back in the starting lineup, Thomas will be motivated to earn his playing time off the bench. As a “tweener”, Thomas not only can make sure that Millsap is not overexposed in his first year as a full-time starter, but he could also fill in at Small Forward in certain lineups as well.

For Memphis:  Whether you call them a player clearing house or a contract laundering service, the Grizzlies’ open cap space, lack of motivation/ability to actually spend any of those available funds, and their willingness to do favors for other clubs have made them the preferred middle-man for buyouts, waiting on expiring deals, and other cap-relief efforts around the league. 

This time, the Grizzlies actually would get something for their troubles, (a 2^nd round pick from Chicago), rather than simply the necessary buyout cash as they did recently in their head-scratching accumulation of Jerry Stackhouse from the Mavs. 

Hey, if they’ve done it for everyone else so far, what makes you think that they wouldn’t be amenable to going around again for Jerome James, especially if they actually get something out of it this time!

SUMMARY:

Looking around the league, Carlos Boozer only truly seems to fit right now with Chicago, New York or Miami.  The Bulls not only seem to be the best possible destination for his skill set and personal aspirations, but they also can make the most realistic and valuable offer as far as the Jazz are concerned. 

As long as Chris Wallace is still in Memphis and working for the league’s other 29 teams, there’s no reason that this deal couldn’t be a relative win-win-win for all those involved. 

I should know. After all, I am a doctor.

- “Doctor Trade”