Agreed. They could possibly come away with more cap space to sign max free agents AND could possibly pick up Paul George with that pick. I would call that a successful Draft Night right before FA 2010.
According to the article, that would actually be TWO white guys for the Pacers.... Hinrich and Hayward (if he's there and they take him)
Breaking News: The Utah Jazz are hurt that the Bulls will have more white players traded/drafted tonight. 14th (Draft Hayward), Andersen & Shane Battier for Deron Williams? Get It Done Morey!
Hinrich is a fantastic defensive player and a great contending piece. Why the bulls would do this just to cut cap space for players they might not even get is r****ded to me...
Seems like a lot of teams are willing to gut there teams (clear cap space) just for a'shot' at going after one of the FAs this summer. If they don't land one they will end up overpaying for a 2nd or 3rd tier guy just to fill out the roster and try to be competitve. They will be stuck for the next 3-4 years.
Hinrich wasn't going to get them over the hump anyways. If they don't get Wade or LeBron, the Bulls can still get Joe Johnson. They might be overpaying for him with Max dollars, but he's certainly not a bad player by any means especially with the players and offensive system Thibodeaux is rumored to have put in place there next year.
damn, that might work. If I'm Indy I'd do it. Aldrich might still be there if they need a whitey :grin:
Indiana have the LLE or less to spend before they hit luxury tax. Bird is restricted from going over that. If they want to improve the team it has to be through trade. I'm guessing TJ Ford's expiring contract is involved.
From what I'm hearing, is seems like Joe Johnson might be headed to the Bulls. They could also draft Paul George with the 10th pick. With Johnson, Hinrich would be coming off the bench and Hinrich makes starters money. Clearing his salary would be great for the Chicago, and they also get a better pick.
But why overpay for a guy who's one dimensional, doesn't make anyone around him better AND isn't a proven winner? Oh and he'll be 30 next year. Just stupid. Hinrich is a massively underrated piece and his contract isn't even that burdensome.
I don't see this just as cutting salary for the Bulls. I see it as a marketing strategy. "Hey, LeBron! We just made a trade for a pick for one of the top ten players in the draft! COME TO CHICAGO!!!!!"
