NBA Draft 2011: Value of the Chicago Bulls' Future 1st-Round Pick from Bobcats?
The appeal of signing LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh back in 2010 caused many teams to shed salary at the trade deadline. The idea was to obtain as many openings financially for "full boat" contracts. The top teams (Miami and New York) were able to free three of these spaces to sign free agents.
The Chicago Bulls were in full "fire sale" mode at the 2010 trade deadline. They unloaded Kirk Heinrich and Tyrus Thomas in an effort to save future cap space. After not securing one of the Big Three, many fans were sad to see that the trade of Heinrich was probably not necessary, and he could have played a role in defeating the Miami Heat in May, as a starting shooting guard who can defend.
The Tyrus Thomas situation may just pay off yet. Chicago fans keep hearing about the "mythical" draft pick from Charlotte that gets more and more valuable each year. Some folks will have you believe that it will be a top-five pick in a few years, or that Chicago has any control over when it can use it.
Here are the specifics of that pick:
In 2012, the pick is lottery protected. If the Bobcats are in the lottery (which they probably will be), they get to keep the pick. If not, it is the Bulls' to use.
In 2013, the pick is top-12 protected. If the Bobcats are in the lottery and the pick is in the top 12 picks, they keep it. If not, the Bulls receive the pick.
In 2014, the pick is top-10 protected, and in 2015, the pick is top-eight protected. The only way that the Bulls could get a top-eight pick in the draft from this Charlotte pick is if they don't receive it until 2016, when it is not protected.
Understanding this, the question is how valuable is this pick?
Most GMs will tell you that a pick is only good if it exists in the next two years. Most folks in the front office don't know if they are going to be around in four or five years to claim this pick, so it doesn't have as much value as you might think. That said, fast-forward to 2014 and if the Bobcats haven't improved, the pick becomes a decent bargaining chip.
Unfortunately, Gar Forman and John Paxson probably don't care about the 2014 NBA draft. They care about next year and the year after.
So, with that said, don't be surprised if the Bulls package that pick along with one or more of their picks this year to move up in the draft. Experts have looked at several players that the Bulls would be interested in between picks 10-24, and the Charlotte pick could play a role in moving up to a higher pick. Especially to a team that sees itself rebuilding for the next several years.
The irony of this pick? Charlotte is probably one of the teams that would be most interested in getting it back.
Stephen Jackson, anyone?
