Bulls 'Will Be Aggressive' Heading Into NBA Draft
CHICAGO (WSCR) The Chicago Bulls made it clear that they're going to be one of the elite teams in the NBA for the foreseeable future. But if Chicago wants to take the next step, and get to the NBA Finals, they're going need to add some pieces in the offseason.
"Their realistic option is to make a trade at the draft, which is, you know, June 23," K.C. Johnson, of the Chicago Tribune, said on the Danny Mac Show. "And that is typically, as we all know, one of the two times in the calender year that a lot of big deals go down...I mean, in a normal situation, the Bulls, from my perspective, are fairly ideally suited to make a big trade. I mean, they've got a little bit of salary cap space, on this collective bargaining agreement before it expires. They've got multiple first round picks, moving forward, including a potentially very lucrative one from Charlotte, from the Tyrus Thomas trade. And they've got young assets, that they don't necessarily want to part with, but if you're going to make a big splash to acquire more athleticism or more scoring, that's what you need to give up."
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But with the expiration of the current collective bargaining agreement quickly approaching on July 1, teams will likely be hesitant to pull the trigger on a blockbuster trade at this month's draft.
"I do know that the Bulls will be aggressive between now and the draft, you know, scouring opportunities, because this is their opportunity to upgrade," Johnson said. "If the new C.B.A. is set, the Bulls, you know, the first thing they're going to do is try to extend Derrick Rose to a maximum deal. Doing that will give them four prohibitive contracts: with [Carlos] Boozer, [Luol] Deng, [Joakim] Noah and Rose. So you're salary cap space is basically gone. So you're going to have to get creative via trade between now and either at this draft or next February at the trade deadline."
