Friday, December 26, 2008

Chicago-Minnesota Trade Proposal

The Trade:

Chicago trades Joakim Noah, Kirk Hinrich, Thabo Sefolosha to Minnesota for Mike Miller and Jason Collins.

The Breakdown:

Joakim Noah
Salary: $2,295,480 Years Remaining: 2

Kirk Hinrich
Salary: $10,000,000 Years Remaining: 4

Thabo Sefolosha
Salary: $1,931,160 Years Remaining: 2

Jason Collins
Salary: $6,200,000 Years Remaining: 1

Mike Miller
Salary: $9,028,575 Years Remaining: 2

The Case for Minnesota:
Randy Foye has shown two things so far in his NBA career: he can score and he's not a point guard. The Timberwolves would benefit from moving Foye off the ball and starting Hinrich at the point guard spot. Both Sefolosha and Noah are young, developing players who would fit in with the group Minnesota is building.

The Case for Chicago:
The Bulls rid themselves of two players who have failed to develop in Chicago: Sefolosha and Noah. Hinrich was signed to a long-term extension before Derrick Rose was drafted by the Bulls. Now that the Bulls have Rose, there is no longer a need for Hinrich. Acquiring Miller would give them a big guard, who can shoot with the best of them to play alongside Rose. Collins would likely fill Noah's spot in the rotation and his contract expires at year's end. Miller's contract expires before the summer of 2010, allowing them to either extend him if he meets expectations or to depart and create cap space to persue one of the top free agents available.