2008 NBA Offseason Preview: Chicago Bulls

April 17th, 2008

The first in a new series of posts detailing teams financial outlooks for the upcoming free agency period, what cap room they have, what exceptions, what draft slots, etc. Should be fascinatingly fascinating, if you’re easily pleased.

No information is 100% guaranteed accurate, but unless you’re privy to hitherto unknown information, or just better at this than I am (highly possible), then it’s probably more accurate than you’ve seen before..

To be completed in an order best described as “Random”.

  Chicago Bulls

Currently Committed Salary, 2008/09:

Larry Hughes – $12,827,676*
Kirk Hinrich – $10,250,000*
Andres Nocioni – $8,000,000
Drew Gooden – $7,151,183
Tyrus Thomas – $3,749,880
Joakim Noah – $2,295,480
Thabo Sefolosha – $1,931,160
Cedric Simmons – $1,742,760
Aaron Gray – $711,517
JamesOn Curry – $711,517 (not fully guaranteed)

Total: $49,371,173

(* = has incentives. Hughes’s salary listed WITHOUT incentives, that are dependent on win totals, and thus won’t be considered likely. Hinrich’s salary listed WITH incentives, which probably won’t be considered likely either.)

Unrestricted Free Agents:

Shannon Brown (cap hold – $1,116,960)
Chris Duhon (cap hold – $6,496,000)

Restricted Free Agents:

Ben Gordon (qualifying offer – $6,404,749, cap hold – $14,645,007)
Luol Deng (qualifying offer – $4,452,574, cap hold – $9,961,017)
Demtris Nichols (qualifying offer – $886,517, cap hold – $512,596)

Draft picks:

First round: 9th pick, subject to lottery results. (Cap hold – $1,840,800)
Second round: 39th pick (no cap hold)

Cap room/exceptions:

Nada room, MLE, BAE, and a $5,205,000 trade exception.

Mario Austin:

Is brilliant.

Depth chart if you take all the free agents away:

PG – Hinrich, Curry
SG – Hughes, Sefolosha
SF – Nocioni, Sefolosha
PF – Gooden, Thomas, Simmons
C – Noah, Gray

Sensible things to do:

Let Chris Duhon go. Gas Larry Hughes. Don’t lose Gordon and Deng for nothing – either re-sign them, or get value in a sign and trade. Try and wriggle out from under Simmons’s final guaranteed year. Add a veteran centre and a veteran point guard. DON’T BLOCK THE YOUNGSTERS. Explore the possibility of debilitating widespread roster overhaul, but don’t for the love of God make a losing trade involving a young player whose value is way below its best. Not again.