Carmelo Anthony…Tied To NBA Draft Aftermath!

Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Well Pippen Peoples, this should be a happy time if  you are a Chicago Bulls fan. It looks like the front office and Tom Thibodeau  will be getting along at least until  training camp. The Bulls drafted a very promising prospect in Doug McDermott that actually fills a need. No, let’s make that two. Shooting a basketball without the possibility of someone getting hurt from a brick. Another is scoring so the fans in the United Center don’t fall asleep during those painful offensive droughts every game. Even Jerry Reinsdorf is happy. He only has to  pay one rookie to play for the Bulls as opposed to two. Looking at the draft, even I have no complaints. Only one problem…

This is the Chicago Bulls we are talking about.

There is a lot of chatter combining the  word championship with Chicago Bulls. I think a lot of fans are believing this based on the one phrase that to be honest, no one should hook their wagon to.

“If Derrick Rose is healthy.”

You know I hope Derrick Rose does recover and regains his rhythm. It’s good for all parties involved. It’s good for the Chicago Bulls who have to pay this man $60 million more dollars. It’s good for his teammates who will gain even more respect for a man who overcome so much to get back on the court. It’s good for the league who needs their superstar back. Most importantly, it’s good for you, the fan. Maybe we can all see what the Bulls can do against the Miami Heat at full strength.

Here’s the issue. It’s not going to happen unless the Bulls bring in a free agent.

LeBron James is not coming, as if you guys even wanted him. Besides he wants the max deal.

Kevin Love is still up in the air.

Let’s talk about Carmelo Anthony.

If there is something that I have learned about the Chicago Bulls management is this. NOTHING is done without a dollar sign attached to it. Let’s take Doug McDermott’s draft night trade for example.

When the Bulls traded their 16th and 19th picks for Denver’s 11th pick, basketball wise this is a good move. I like  it a lot. But let’s look a little deeper shall we? To get this deal done,, the Bulls had to take back Anthony Randolph. A guy who is now on his fifth team (you can make it sixth soon) in six years.

There is no secret that the Chicago Bulls did not want to pay two rookie contracts. However Anthony Randolph’s contract counts for 1.825 million on the books. The Bulls actually took  back more salary to make this deal. Something that has been a bad subject in the front office for months. Why?

Because maybe the Bulls are trying to make a  run at Carmelo Anthony in a sign and trade deal. Let’s see if we can tie this together.

With the drafting of Doug McDermott on Thursday night, Mike Dunleavy and his $3.3 million dollar salary are now in play and expendable. McDermott’s strengths compensates Dunleavy’s to the point that the Bulls can include that $3.3 million dollar salary in to match up the salaries if they can convince Phil Jackson to do a sign and trade deal to bring Carmelo Anthony to Chicago.

Now we have Dunleavy’s contract at $3.3 million dollars and Anthony Randolph’s contract at $1.825 million. Trading those two first round picks means the Bulls do not have pay for two contracts, just one. This is collecting up cap space to make moves. It’s important to note that Anthony Randolph’s will have to be used in a separate deal based on the Traded-Player Exception. Maybe the Bulls have plans in mind for Randolph in other deals. Now what the Bulls need to do?

Carlos Boozer’s contract needs to be amnestied or pray that Phil Jackson is stupid…I mean willing to take back Boozer’s $16.8 million dollar contract as part of the trade for Carmelo Anthony. This will free up the valuable space to sign Carmelo Anthony..

Putting all of this together (and it’s a lot) and  a few other housekeeping duties like giving up key players such as Taj Gibson, Jimmy Butler or both. It could give the Bulls the opportunity to offer Carmelo Anthony a four-year deal starting at around $13-14 million for the first year.

Umm, let’s see here. Everybody is trying to convince themselves that Carmelo Anthony, who after 11 years in the NBA has shown very little sacrifice to any franchise in his career, will leave roughly 10 million on the table?

Could this all happen? Sure. Do I think so? Man, please! Carmelo Anthony is banking $30 to $40 million on the fact that Derrick Rose will return to full health. If you want to stack Joakim Noah and his knee on top of that fine, let’s put that in the collection plate. Carmelo could ignore all of this and come to Chicago choosing the Bulls over New York who will still can hand him nine figures and are quietly making moves behind the scenes we don’t know about yet (Pau Gasol) with their own free agents.

But if Carmelo Anthony does not come to Chicago, it’s not the end of the world. The Bulls front office of John Paxson and Gar Forman are going in a  positive direction. We just haven’t figured it out yet. But its positive!