On the heels of Thursday’s report by ESPN’s Malika Andrews that the Bulls are taking Jabari Parker out of the rotation that caused most of us (especially Horace Grant) to react in disbelief, the Tribune’s KC Johnson reported Friday that the Bulls are actively engaged in trade talks involving the former Simeon star.
Parker’s $20 million in salary this season makes it difficult for the Bulls to trade him. League rules state that a team trading for Parker would have to either absorb that salary into cap space or send back salary that closely matches what Parker is owed. Basically, the Bulls need to take on a salary of $16 million or greater if they trade just Parker away to a team over the cap. It gets more complicated if you try to package a deal involving multiple teams or other players like Justin Holiday.
With that said, here are my top 3 trades (and one wild one) that make the most sense for the Bulls.
Trade 1: Bulls trade Parker to the Knicks for Courtney Lee, Lance Thomas, and the Knicks 2019 1st round pick (top 8 protected).
Positives
The Bulls get a good asset in the Knicks 1st rounder and the Knicks clear Lee’s salary off the books to help in their pursuit of Kevin Durant. We know the Knicks desperately want to land a superstar next summer and Lee is owed $12.8 million in 2019-20. Thomas is a solid defensive player who can play small forward but he’s currently dealing with a knee injury that has sidelined him since early November. Thomas is essentially playing on an expiring deal with a non-guarantee for next season.
NBA
Negatives
Lee is under contract through the 2019-20 season and is owed $12.8 million next season. That money will eat directly into the Bulls cap space but it also gives them an expiring deal heading into Anthony Davis’ free agency summer.
Trade 2: Bulls trade Parker to the Heat for Tyler Johnson and the Heat 2019 1st round pick (top 8 protected)
Positives
Like New York, Pat Riley and Miami would love to clear more cap space to land a star next summer. Johnson has a player option of $19.2 million for next season that he almost certainly will pick up. This move alone won’t clear enough space for the Heat to land a max player, but it puts them on the right path. Johnson can play either guard position and would serve as a solid backup for Dunn.
Negatives
Just like with the Knicks potential trade, the Bulls would take on salary for next season. Again, this isn’t the worst idea. If the Bulls feel they will be unable to attract a max free agent next summer, Johnson still gives you flexibility for the summer of 2020.
Trade 3: Bulls trade Parker to the Hawks for Kent Bazemore and the Hawks 2019 1st round pick (top 8 protected)
Positives
Let’s be honest, they won’t be getting the Hawks pick next summer. Like the Bulls, the Hawks are almost a lock to be drafting in the top 5, but they could end up getting a lottery pick from the Hawks in 2020 or 2021 when the protections lessen. Bazemore, who has a player option of $19.3 million for next season, is a very good defensive player. Although he’s struggled with his perimeter shot this year, the Bulls could insert him into the starting lineup immediately. This move would also give the Hawks close to $70 million in cap space next July.
Negatives
The Bulls won’t be seeing the Hawks 1st round pick for at least one more season. They’re also taking on Bazemore’s salary for the 2019-20 season.
The common theme with the three trades above is that the Bulls get an asset while taking on more salary. This is the right move to make for an organization that’s rebuilding and that is unlikely to contend for a star player next July. Of course, all three of these trades carry some risk, but they are much safer than the ‘let’s get nuts’ trade I would consider.
The Wild One: Bulls trade Jabari Parker and Cristiano Felicio to the Wizards for Otto Porter
Positives
The Bulls find a home for Felicio and his contract that pays a back-end-of-the-bench player an average of $8 million a year over the next three years.The Bulls also get a player in Porter that fits perfectly with this roster. He’s a 3-and-D small forward that’s only 25 years old. He fills a huge position of need for the Bulls and he’s under contract through the 2019-20 season with a player option for 2020-21. This will allow him to grow with the already excellent young core of LaVine, Markkanen and Carter Jr.
Negative
Yeah, about that contract.
Porter is owed an average of $27.2 million over the next three years. That is A LOT of money for a player averaging 10.7 points per game in his career. There is no question he is one of the most overpaid players in the league, but his contract also expires the same summer a certain superstar in Milwaukee is due to hit free agency. However, free agency has long been thought of as ‘fool's gold’ when it comes to building a championship team. Why not trade for a solid player like Porter that you can build around?