ChicagoSportsFan21 wrote:So what would you guys do with these four players (Thad, Sato, Aminu, and Lauri) with their salary situation for next season?
It seems more likely than not that Thad and Sato will be here next year while Lauri most likely will not. I’m not sure about Aminu as he has a 10 million player option which I’m pretty sure he is going to accept. Not sure if this would work but possibly a sign and trade with Lauri to NOP and Ball to CHI and then keep Thad/Sato at least.
IMO it's unimaginable that AK waives Thad's and Sato's options. $6m and $5m guaranteed, respectively. Kill $11m of cap by dumping two good players? No way. I saw that as a scenario if they were really bad and needed to cut for a FA target, but you're not getting two rotation players for the $15m they'd create, let alone 2 players.
But I also don't think they're the best use of $25m, considering they will expire, and we're in that golden situation where Zach and Vuc are both on $20m contracts.
I think Bulls explore offers on draft or opening FA night. Thad/Sato provide a variety of things: cap relief, solid two-way skills, locker-room vet presence. Not saying I expect a lotto pick, but there could be an opportunity. I expect that Lauri will
not net a desirable return in S&T; mainly because it takes 3 parties to tango in a S&T. More-so a salvage/small-asset trade. So Thad/Sato might be (part) the cost to get a better RFA back.
I can't read the FO's mind; I feel like there's some slither of hope they can turn Lauri into a good player, but I imagine Donovan must want to get away from all the defensive sieves and focus on athletic 3D wings.
Deadline rumors had Gary Trent on AK's radar. That recent 44-pt. explosion might uh, change perceptions, but $15m should do the trick. There's Lonzo, though I think Trent would help more. In either case, IMO Thad, Sato and Coby have to be the trade pieces, because I don't think either team is interested in signing Lauri at $15-20m.
Also curious where Simonovic fits into the plans. Stash? Trade his rights? Sign as a deep-bench project?
A good off-season for me, would be somehow retaining Theis, adding Trent and Lonzo, and then signing an interesting bench piece (McConnell or Holmes). Sounds too ambitious with the pieces we've got, but we'll see. We have some bait.