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Bulls need scoring, so …
… Getting Maggette for Deng, others could solve problem
Sam Smith
On Pro Basketball
October 9, 2006
This is going to be a tough season for me. I believe the Bulls are going to be very good. I've already said they could win 55 to 60 games. So why would you want to make any trades with that kind of team?
Well, with a half-dozen new rotation players, there are no assurances that the Bulls will be as good as I believe. And it's not like the main changes—adding Ben Wallace, P.J. Brown and two rookies—will add any scoring in a league that is tilting to offense.
So how about obtaining Corey Maggette for Luol Deng?
OK, OK, stay with me here, as I often have to counsel.
The Bulls would have to add more to such a deal, certainly Michael Sweetney, who sounds like he's on the way out, anyway, with questions already being raised about conditioning, his weight and overall health. And even then the Bulls would have to add something else to that kind of deal because Maggette makes $7 million, more than Deng and Sweetney combined. But it would be something worth looking at for both sides if they can find a way.
And money is the issue, especially for the Bulls.
It's beginning to look as if Kirk Hinrich will not get his contract extension this fall and will become a restricted free agent after the season. That's not very risky for the Bulls because they can match any offer. The problem for the Bulls is that Andres Nocioni's contract expires after this season, plus Ben Gordon and Deng are eligible for extensions.
With Wallace on the books at an average of $15 million a season, it seems unlikely the Bulls could re-sign all four players in their core and avoid the league's luxury tax. The Bulls have committed to not exceeding the tax level, like every team outside New York. Hinrich is probably the No. 1 priority because he has a chance to move into an upper echelon with his selection to the U.S. national team. Figure Nocioni is equally irreplaceable given the unique way he plays and his increasing production. He could become one of the most sought after free agents.
So the decision could come down to Gordon or Deng. Though I've long suggested Gordon in various deals given his size limitations, he does have a vital NBA skill: He can shoot and score. And he can do so effortlessly. I long felt he wouldn't fit in a backcourt with Hinrich, but the addition of Thabo Sefolosha could prove crucial. If Sefolosha can be the big, defensive combo guard the team is missing, Gordon would be a keeper.
That said, I believe Deng will become a very good player, a versatile, hard-working forward.
But if the Bulls have a flaw, it still remains scoring. Maggette, the Fenwick High School product, is a 20-point scorer. He may not be long for the Clippers, where he mostly is used as a sixth man. Maggette has chafed in that role and is not likely to remain satisfied.
The Clippers entertained talks over the summer of a trade for Golden State's Mike Dunleavy. I'd take Deng over Dunleavy. Maybe the Clippers would too. And if the Bulls were going to move Deng, it would be better to deal him to a Western Conference team. Though Maggette's $7 million seems like a lot to us mere mortals, it is a modest NBA salary and far less than any of the Bulls' four potential free agents is seeking. It seems like something the Bulls would at least have to look at before finances interfere with their dreams.
Who said I couldn't come up with a deal before the first exhibition game?
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