League Circles wrote:jnrjr79 wrote:League Circles wrote:You're probably right, but I don't really care what Zach or AK want. If there isn't a trade to improve us we shouldn't do it. Now that improvement can either be now or in the future, but I wouldn't dump Zach just to formalize a divorce.
If by "improve the team" you mean "well maybe improve the team but primarily get out of the luxury tax," then I think that's what we are pretty likely to see. AK says he's not going into the tax unless the Bulls are in the top 4, that he wants to extend DeRozan, and that he wants to keep PWill. There just aren't a lot of ways to do all that without a Zach trade involving significant salary relief, so my guess would be that'll be objective #1, and getting actual useful assets will be viewed as a bonus.
That's just a guess. Maybe they surprise us and trade DeMar or let him walk. Maybe some team would take Vooch in a pure salary dump. But my guess is they're first going to try to get salary relief via Zach, since both sides seem to want the same thing.
Just curious cause I didn't watch, do you or anyone recall exactly the phrasing when he said top 4 seed for luxury tax? I'd like to think (and have always thought since the Paxson era) that that is based on being projected top 4, not already proven. Just cause that's how things work. For example say you had two great young players finishing their 3rd year, but nothing else to speak of, and you were like a 6 or 7 seed, but you have double max cap space. And you sign two max free agents. You do that knowing full well that when those two young guys get their max in a year and you have 4 max guys plus role players, you're going to be a tax team, but you do it cause you're a projected top 4.
Now, the projection of US being top 4 next year under any likely set of moves is low we'd all agree, but that doesn't mean AK won't try to convince Reinsdorf that it can happen if we make trades X and Y and re-sign Demar, Patrick and Drummond for what it takes.
I in fact basically hope we do pay the tax, though I'd like to see that with flexibility, so basically large very short term deals. Would love to see 1+1 (team option) deals for all 3 of Demar, Patrick and Drummond. Though frankly I'd try to sign Drummond to like a 4 year deal worth like 16-18 mil total if possible. Locks up a starting caliber talent at C (and you usually want two at all times) for 4 years.
It sounded to me very much like “if we make the top 4, then I can ask Jerry to go into the luxury tax.” I’m sure there’d be some wiggle room for some extreme outlier case like “Giannis is trying to force his way to Chicago,” but the gist seemed to be that the Bulls had to prove it first.
