According to the morning report on Hoopsworld.com, Ben Gordon wants to remain a Bull, has always wished to stay with the Bulls, but the money is still an issue.

While the luxury tax was an issue in offering Gordon a contract next season, those problems are unlikely to come up again this offseason because of Drew Gooden’s expiring contract.

The Bulls real problem is finding their way into the picture for the 2010 free agency. Letting Drew Gooden walk in free agency, or signing him to a short, two year deal, is a given if the Bulls want to get into the mix in 2010.

After not giving Gooden a contract that is lasts more than three years, the Bulls next task is to play the trade markets. The Bulls have three players who will for sure be under contract in 2010 and those are, Luol Deng, Derrick Rose, and Joakim Noah. The Bulls will then probably look at trading Kirk Hinrich, and probably Nocioni as well.

The Bulls have a problem working towards creating cap space for 2010 if they cannot find a take for either Kirk Hinrich or Andres Nocioni. If the Bulls still have Andres Nocioni and Kirk Hinrich under contract next summer, John Paxson will have to decide whether to re-sign Gordon or not. Not re-signing Gordon would make the Bulls a less desirable destination for some of the 2010 free agents, while simultaneously flushing a third overall draft pick down the toilet. However, there are a host of players that are better than Gordon available, and if they were able to land one of them, it would make letting Gordon walk look brilliant. If they cannot land one of the superstars, the move could end up costing the Bulls, or making the free agent signing a lateral move.

If the Bulls re-sign Gordon with Hinrich and Nocioni still under contract, Paxson could go directions immediately. The first direction is to continue pursuing trades involving Hinrich and Nocioni, and try to get in the 2010 game. The second direction would be to sign a solid free agent like Shawn Marion to the MLE this summer, while the rest of the league is scared to spend money. No matter what direction the Bulls choose to take in this scenario, they would be able to leverage Larry Hughes expiring contract for something good. Going the first direction, a Hughes trade would be the result of the Bulls not finding a taker for Hinrich or Nocioni. Going the second direction, Paxson could proactively seek trades involving Hughes’ contract.

Nonetheless, it is good to hear that Gordon wants to remain a Bull. Hopefully Paxson can find a taker for Hinrich or Nocioni this season so the Bulls can avoid another scary summer when it comes to free agency in 2009.

Similar Posts:

• Rumor: Hinrich’s Injury Cost Bulls Kaman
• Bulls Need To Go All In
• Heat on for Gordon
• Bulls Rejected Gordon and Nocioni for Marion Deal
• Gordon for Marion Deal Dies

Tags: 2010 free agency, Andres Nocioni, Ben Gordon, Chicago Bulls, Derrick Rose, Drew Gooden, free agency, Joakim Noah, John Paxson, Kirk Hinrich, Larry Hughes, Luol Deng, luxury tax, MLE, Shawn Marion

This entry was posted on Friday, November 28th, 2008 at 3:20 pm and is filed under Commentary, Rumors. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.