After I finish up this Friday edition of morning bullets, I’m off to the Cubs-Cardinals game.
Still being a new member of the Bleacher Nation family, it’ll be my first time hitting Wrigley Field with Brett, Michael, Luis, and Bryan … so we’ll see how much hazing goes into this “work” outing.
Anyway, I’m sure we’ll be tweeting and what not during our afternoon game, so (shameless plug alert!) go hit that follow button on Twitter to see what we’re up to. Also, if you happen to be there and see us (props to you for even recognizing our faces), feel free to say hi! @BleacherNation, @Michael_Cerami, @lcm1986, @Schuster_Elias, @cubprospects.
Okay, time for bullets…
You know NBA fans are hungry for the offseason when a trade between the Nets and Hawks is the talk of basketball Twitter. The trade isn’t going to catch your eye from a player stand-point, but it certainly holds a lot of weight when considering free agency. The Nets were already expected to be big players in this year’s market, projected to have enough cap space to sign someone on a max deal. But now, with the trade of Allen Crabbe, a No. 17 pick and a protected first round pick in 2020, the team is all but ensuring they’ll be open for business.
First reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski the Nets will be clearing an addition $18 million in cap space to hit a total of $46 million this July. I never thought I’d say it, but, gosh, what I’d do to be a Nets fan right now. The team will be able to potentially sign two max-players this offseason, with the best-case-scenario being Kyrie Irving (which seems more and more possible every day) and Kevin Durant.
Now, this move can potentially hurt or help the Bulls. As we’ve discussed multiple times here, if the Bulls go after a big-name free agent it would most likely be the Nets D’Angelo Russell. Remember, this is still a bit of a dream situation, but if the Bulls were to find a way to move around some cap space (like possibly with a trade similar to the one below) the team could expand their cap enough to make an offer to Russell. This new trade for the Nets could mean that the front office would not match the offers thrown Russell’s way since their sights are set on bigger and better. However, it could mean the exact opposite. The Nets realistically could not hesitate to give Russell a max contract and pair him up with another max-caliber player.
Oh, and not to mention, this whole thing just makes the Eastern Conference more competitive. No matter the hypotheticals, I have to image the Bulls will be keeping a close eye on this potential situation, and I wouldn’t be too surprised if we see the team try to free up some more cap space soon.
Jimmy Butler is drinking a Goose Island, so I think we all know what that means.
https://twitter.com/Bulls_Peck/status/1136744991060090881?s=20
NBC Chicago Sports’ Mark Schanowski did a mailbag where he talked about Patrick Beverley, D’Angelo Russell, the draft and more. He also brought up one idea I touched on in our first Getting to Know Bulls Draft Target’s article about Cam Reddish. The Bulls need to keep in mind the long term. If a point guard isn’t available at No. 7, the Bulls should highly think about adding a wing player that can take over the starting job when Otto Porter’s contract runs out in two seasons.
Look at that smile… that’s the smile of a Finnish King and future all-star.
https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/1136697694855081984?s=20
Did the boys over at Bulls Talk get a sneak peek at our upcoming article on Coby White? Check out the video below for a good scouting report on the Bulls potential draft target. Also, keep your eye out for our “getting to know” article about White coming later.
I see that some of you are not too big of fans of Denzel Valentine. I understand he isn’t the most exciting player, but the guy also played on a bummed-up ankle during his first two seasons and still showed improvement. All I’m saying, it’s definitely likely he would have been the Bulls best bench player last season. I know, that may not be saying a lot, but I’ll gladly take him back for depth purposes.
NEWSLETTER
