Ben Gordon Is Now a Free Agent

June 30th, 2009 by Andrew Wamboldt

As of 11:00 PM Central Standard Time, Ben Gordon is no longer a member of the Chicago Bulls and has become an unrestricted free agent.

Ben Gordon looks to cash in big, as he is coming off a big 2008-2009 season, and is the top free agent of the 2009 free agent class.

Last summer, Gordon agreed to sign the Bulls $54 million over 6 year deal, but the owner, Jerry Reinsdorf, refused to let him sign the deal, so Gordon signed the one year qualifying offer, which made him an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Gordon’s competition for dollars decreased today, as Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur of the Utah Jazz both opted into their contracts for next year, as did Kobe Bryant. The Pistons, one of the teams with cap space, had interest in Boozer.

The Pistons are said to be in hot pursuit of Gordon, and appear set to offer Ben Gordon at least an $11 million a year contract.

Oklahoma City and Portland are other teams with cap space that could become possible landing spots, but unless Portland waives Steve Blake and/or Travis Outlaw, it would need to be a sign and trade. The Knicks and Heat both tried to sign Gordon last summer, but were nixed in sign and trade deals by the Bulls.

In a matter of days, hours, possibly minutes, Ben Gordon may no longer be a Chicago Bull. It still comes down to the fundamental question, and that is, are the Bulls willing to pay Ben Gordon what he is worth?

According to Chris Broussard, Ben Gordon would re-sign with the Bulls if the offers are similar. The Bulls should go ahead and match the Pistons offer, as $11 million a year is a reasonable contract for a team’s top scorer.

No matter what happens with Gordon, Bulls fans should appreciate what he did here. He has been the best player on the Bulls since Michael Jordan retired.

At the end of this process, Ben Gordon should be a Bull, but it is very likely that he will not. The Bulls’ ownership group, led by Jerry Reinsdorf, has been more profit driven than winning driven. The Bulls have been the most profitable team in the NBA for over a decade, yet they’re still grasping at the luxury tax as being a barrier for their spending.

It’s time for Jerry Reinsdorf to start acting like he is the owner of a big market team, and re-sign Ben Gordon for what he is worth.