Marc Stein ‏@ESPNSteinLine
ESPN link to Carlos Boozer/Andrea Bargnani exploratory trade discussions: http://es.pn/UGNCG0

Sources: Bulls mull Bargnani dealUpdated: February 7, 2013, 5:53 PM ETBy Marc Stein | ESPN.com Recommend70Tweet167Comments45EmailPrintThe Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors have engaged in exploratory trade discussions on a deal that would swap the Bulls' Carlos Boozer for the Raptors' Andrea Bargnani, according to sources familiar with the discussions.


Other players with smaller contracts would have to be added to the deal to make the salary-cap math work, should talks indeed progress to a more serious level, but sources told ESPN.com on Thursday that both teams have given consideration to the move.


From Chicago's perspective, sources said, Bargnani's arrival could help address their glaring lack of 3-point shooting and brighten the overall look of its payroll, given that the italian forward makes $5 million less than Boozer this season. Despite his well-chronicled defensive deficiencies, Bargnani would figure to be an effective pick-and-roll partner for Derrick Rose, once Rose makes his expected return from knee surgery after the All-Star break.


The biggest impediment to such a trade, sources said, is believed to be whether Toronto can realistically afford having both Rudy Gay and Boozer on its payroll beyond this season.


The Raptors, fresh off acquiring Gay from Memphis last week, have been openly shopping Bargnani, who resumed the most disappointing season of his career Wednesday night after missing 26 games with an elbow injury.


Although Toronto's desire to upgrade its front line is an open secret -- as confirmed by their long-running interest in trading for the Los Angeles Lakers' Pau Gasol before Gasol's foot injury this week -- it's believed that the luxury-tax implications of trading for Boozer could ultimately dissuade the Raptors from such a deal, even if Chicago proved willing.


Raptors president Bryan Colangelo told local reporters after the Gay trade that the team was prepared to stray into luxury-tax territory for the "right transaction." It remains to be seen whether a deal for Boozer qualifies.


It's been long assumed around the league that the Bulls might consider releasing Boozer through the NBA's one-time amnesty provision at season's end, but Boozer has tuned out such talk to be one of Chicago's most productive players in 2013, rallying from a so-so start to average 19.5 points and 10.1 rebounds in January.


The NBA's annual trade deadline is Feb. 21 and the Raptors are known to be actively searching for a new home for Bargnani, who was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2006 draft but has gradually fallen out of favor with Raptors fans after Toronto's four straight seasons out of the playoffs. Their list of potential trade partners is likely to be limited, however, because Bargnani -- on top of his on-court struggles this season -- has two years left on his contract after this one, valued at slightly more than $22 million total.

Yes please.

_________________

holy FUCK YES. OMG. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? DO IT YESTERDAY, PAX!!!!

booze is at a peak. GET RID OF HIM NOW! he aint bad, and even if his problem last year was ouchies... he will likely get hurt again because hes just that sort of guy. SEE YA. HELLO CONSISTENCY.

andre had a chance at bein here when he came into the league, irrc. he would play at his career peak in chicago, no doubt about it. thibs and the rest of the team is perfect for him. BRING HIM HERE NOW!

_________________
the world will always the world. your entire existence is defined by your response.

you dont have a chance in hell at anything. save the tax money and go party with it, because youre the raptors.

_________________
the world will always the world. your entire existence is defined by your response.

Good piece here. I think they should bite the bullet and amnesty Boozer when they know they can land another impact talent. Having Bargnani's contract for 3 more seasons negates that.

I say no.


By Nick Friedell | ESPNChicago.com

DENVER -- Is Andrea Bargnani enough to help put the Chicago Bulls over the top and knock off the Miami Heat over the next couple of seasons?

That's the question Bulls executive vice president John Paxson and general manager Gar Forman have to be bouncing around right now after Marc Stein reported Thursday that the Bulls and Toronto Raptors have engaged exploratory trade discussions about a deal that would send Carlos Boozer to Toronto and Bargnani to Chicago.

In the short term, the deal would take the Bulls out of the luxury tax -- which they are on track to pay this season for the first time under owner Jerry Reinsdorf. There have to be other smaller pieces included in the proposed swap, but the move would save the Bulls millions and give them a little wiggle room under the hard cap that they are operating under for the rest of the season.

The move would also save the Bulls some money next season given that Bargnani averages close to $5 million less than Boozer a year. With Taj Gibson's new extension kicking in this summer at $8.5 million per season, the Bulls would hover right around the tax threshold given their corresponding moves.

The most intriguing part of the deal is that if the swap did take place, the idea that the Bulls would have enough space to land a max or near-max player in the summer of 2014 goes out the window. Bargnani has an early termination option in his deal heading into the 2014-1015 season -- but it's unlikely that another team would offer him a deal with a starting salary of $11.5 million, the amount he is scheduled to make in 2014-15, given his recent struggles with the Raptors.

If the Bulls don't do this deal and end up using the amnesty clause on Boozer during the summer of 2014, clearing out his salary of almost $17 million, and Luol Deng's salary worth over $13 million comes off the books, they would have space to add another big time player. That would depend on whether they re-signed Deng and for how much.

If Bargnani decides to opt into his deal, the Bulls wouldn't have much opportunity to land a free agent on the open market, and they would have to re-sign Deng using his "Bird rights" depending again on how much of a salary cut he is willing to take.

If the Bulls knew for sure that Bargnani wasn't going to opt-in to the final year of his deal, then I wouldn't have nearly as much hesitation if I were Paxson or Forman. As it stands, the Bulls appear, at least on the surface, to be one piece away with or without Boozer.

If Boozer gets dealt, Bargnani can slide into the starting lineup and play the pick and pop with Derrick Rose when he returns. If Tom Thibodeau wanted to put a more defensive-minded look on the floor he could use Gibson, or in some cases, Jimmy Butler on the floor at the four position. The move would give the Bulls a little wiggle room under the hard cap and would save them money in the future, a fact that will not be lost on a portion of the fan base that crushed the Bulls' front office for some of the financial decisions they made last summer.

Bargnani would actually be earning his money to play, instead of Boozer being paid to walk away, as would be the case if the Bulls amnestied his contract.

It's the third year in Bargnani's deal that should give Paxson and Forman pause, though. Do they really believe that Bargnani can push them over the edge? They can't make this deal unless they feel that way because they have to make this deal with the mindset that he is staying three more seasons.

They shouldn't do it believing that he will end his contract early. Another factor in all this is the development of draft pick Nikola Mirotic. The Bulls have always been privately confident that Mirotic would be able to get out of his deal in a year and a half and come play in Chicago. Is he enough of a difference maker to off-set the loss of Boozer's offense and help bolster a strong roster? How confident are they that he will be able to get out of that contract?

These are all questions the Bulls are pondering at the moment -- but the biggest one should be: Is the organization confident enough that a roster led by Rose, Noah, Deng and Bargnani is good enough, with a solid supporting cast, to win a championship?

Barring another major unforeseen deal in the future, that would be the Bulls' core, and take up most of their cap space, for better or worse. If the answer to that question is yes, then the Bulls should make the deal and see what happens.

what the fuck is this? this is stupid retarded shit. its pretty simple, bargyanni on the bulls is better then boozer on the bulls. get rid of deng to keep boozer? are you high? i am and i still know thats fucking stupid. how do you beat miami when they score 150 points on you? fuckin idiot. this guy gets paid? espn i need a new job... hit me up on adultfriendfiner.

_________________
the world will always the world. your entire existence is defined by your response.

The point is if you get Bargnani, he will be under contract for 3 more reasons unless he opts out which is doubtful. Fuck that. Keep Boozer so you can amnesty his ass later. If they do this deal, they are tied up cap wise.

If the right deal for Boozer comes up, yes, move his ass by all means, but not in this deal.

I refuse to believe this until KC Johnson refuses to report on it out of respect.

_________________
"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

or he just knows about it and doesnt tell anyone until someone else mentions it and he says he knew about it.

_________________
"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

Yeah or that.

_________________
"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

The Trib's K.C. Johnson is on The SCORE right now with "Boers & Bernstein". He doesn't see this proposed trade becoming a reality, and the Bulls don't have a great deal of salary cap wiggle room to work with either. He doesn't even think that the Bulls will be much of a player in free agency this summer either.

No, it's not.

_________________

My sources say otherwise.

_________________

I know nothing...Nothing!

barguanni is gonna be a bull within 2 weeks.

_________________
the world will always the world. your entire existence is defined by your response.

¿BARGNANI O SHIMASU KA?

_________________

Are the Bulls a better team this year if they make this trade? I am not sold on that one.

_________________
"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Rather Amnesty Boozer at a later date than do this deal.

_________________

Raptors didn't want this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoEJ8qwdxeA

_________________
I'm going to bounce from the spot for awhile but I will be back at some point to argue with you about this hoops stuff again. Playoffs have been great this season. See ya up the road.

I'm out.