Wave goodbye to Carlos Boozer at your own risk.
Long considered an inevitable amnesty casualty, Boozer may have played his last game for the Chicago Bulls. At 32 and due nearly $17 million next season, he doesn’t fit into the Bulls’ plans long term, nor does he provide the offensive boon they once valued him for. Amnestying him seems inevitable.
But according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, the Bulls haven’t made a decision yet:
Though upset about the Bulls’ unexpected early exit from the playoffs, a confident and buoyant Carlos Boozer said management didn’t tell him which direction it will take with him this offseason and lauded his professionalism in a reduced role.
“They told me how much they appreciated and respected me for giving everything I have for the team,” Boozer said by phone Wednesday. “They said they were proud of how I handled my own personal adversity.”
The Bulls can use the amnesty provision in July to excise Boozer’s $16.8 million contract from their salary-cap and luxury-tax figures. The Tribune reported last week the Bulls’ ideal scenario would be to include Boozer in a sign-and-trade deal before making a final determination on amnesty.
Carlos has had a big part in our success the last four years,” general manager Gar Forman said. “If (amnesty) is something that makes sense getting our team stronger, we may go that way. But we also may not.”
The early indications are that the Bulls will attempt to trade Boozer before deciding whether to use the amnesty provision, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein, which makes sense. Owner Jerry Reinsdorf is known for being stingy. Paying a player $16.8 million to disappear and play for someone else isn’t something that’s going to be high on his priority list.
Trading Boozer, however, is likely impossible. No team is going to give up anything or anyone of value for a player who could hit the open market and be signed at a fraction of a fraction of his current price tag.
Moving him becomes a greater possibility if the Bulls are willing to take back long-term salary, but that defeats the purpose of what they’re doing. The goal is to create financial flexibility in order to make a significant free-agency splash. Adding salary isn’t going to help—especially when that salary belongs to a player who will likely be even less productive than Boozer.
If the Bulls are serious about signing another star this summer—i.e. Carmelo Anthony—Boozer will have to go. And to go, he’ll have to be amnestied. It’s that simple.
With that said, the Bulls do have the option of waiting. They could let Boozer’s contract ride out before they hit the ground running next summer, when more superstars are expected to become available, which, if we’re being honest, is hardly the end of the world.
There aren’t many stars on the open market this summer to begin with. The chances of prying one away from their incumbent team, Melo included, are slim. Waiting saves the Bulls money by not amnestying Boozer, while also giving them the opportunity to see what they have in Derrick Rose.
The injury-prone point guard will play a crucial role in any sales pitch, be it as a deterrent or attractive sidekick. Selling prospective free agents on playing with Rose becomes easier if he shows he can remain healthy for an entire season.
Expect this decision to be totally Melo-driven. If the Bulls get the sense he’s prepared to leave New York for Chicago, bye-bye Boozer. If he doesn’t, if he makes it clear he’s going to stay with the Knicks, bet on Boozer sporting Bulls red for another season.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musing can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com.
