Phoenix Suns to Waive Vince Carter: Could He Solve the Chicago Bulls SG Problem?

Over the weekend, the Arizona Republic reported that the Phoenix Suns are going to waive Vince Carter at some point in the next few days.

Carter would have been owed over $18 million next year, but only $4 million of that is guaranteed.  So the Suns will pay him that amount in a buyout and send him on his way.

Once upon a time, Carter was one of the league's best scorers.  He never won a scoring title, but had 10 straight seasons in which he averaged at least 20 points a game from the '99-00 season through '08-09.

As a member of the Orlando Magic and Phoenix Suns, he saw his scoring average drop off a decent amount.  His decline isn't entirely a product of aging, but rather a combination of that and the situations he was in.

At 34, the once electric Carter has clearly lost a step (or two), but he may still have a lot to offer a contending team in need of some perimeter scoring.

Enter the Chicago Bulls and the gaping hole that is smack dab in the middle of their starting lineup.  No team's positional need was as highly publicized as the Bulls' need for a shooting guard last year. 

Derrick Rose was under an immense amount of pressure last season, as he had to carry the team by himself for a significant amount of Chicago's wins.

They need someone else who can create a shot.  While Carter can't do that the way he once did, he's still leaps and bounds ahead of Keith Bogans or Kyle Korver in that department.

The Bulls could also use more perimeter shooting to stretch the floor and open the lane for Derrick Rose and Carlos Boozer.  For his career, Carter has hit 37 percent of his three-point attempts and one skill that typically improves with old age is outside shooting (just ask Jason Kidd).

I'm not saying Carter is the answer for the Bulls.  His attitude and defense may not fit Chicago's system, but he's certainly an option.

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