Tyrus Thomas Discussions and Trade Rumors Start to Heat Up

Looks like as of right now, Tyrus Thomas is the only Bull who is guaranteed to be traded before the deadline.  He should be flattered, because he apparently has a lot suitors.  I discussed a few of them in a post a few days ago, but since then, there have been more recent developments.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, Tyrus’s verbal tirade on Vinny got other GMs’ attention, and they’ve been calling Bulls Management non-stop since that night.  It obviously became clear that the Tyrus’s time in Chicago was essentially over.

“Everyone understood Chicago executives are now determined to move Thomas, and a clear price has been established for suitors: Expiring contracts and a future first-round draft pick, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. The Bulls are also exploring ways to package Thomas with guard Kirk Hinrich to free themselves of his contract.”

I would most definitely accept expirings with a future first-round pick for Tyrus if that’s the best you can get.  You have to move him for something…why not for cap space and a future first-rounder?  It’s not like he’s an All-Star.  According to Adrian, the Bobcats apparently offered Acie Law, Flip Murray, and a future first-rounder.  Decent offer for Tyrus alone.  The Blazers have offered either Steve Blake or Travis Outlaw, both expiring, with 2 future second round picks.  Adrian suggests this is not good enough and they will have to improve upon this to be taken seriously.  I agree.  As it stands right now, the Bobcats are pursuing aggressively and are likely the front-runner.

“Bulls management is telling teams they expect to take the bidding right to the Feb. 18 deadline. The Bulls want to avoid the possibility of Thomas accepting a $6.2 million qualifying offer on the eve of this summer’s free agency, which would deliver a major dent to their salary-cap space.”

Fair enough.  Obviously you want the best possible offer you can get for the guy, and teams become more and more desperate as the trade deadline approaches.  But it goes both ways.  And every team knows the Bulls are desperate to trade Tyrus (as well as Kirk).  So far, the Knicks, Kings, Spurs, Nuggets, and Hornets are the other teams who have called the Bulls about Tyrus.  That’s a large list, so surely the Bulls will get something done by the deadline.  Now, for us fans, the waiting game begins.

Aaron Gray Traded to New Orleans for Devin Brown

The Bulls made an interesting trade today, sending Aaron Gray to New Orleans in exchange for swing-man Devin Brown.  I like the trade.  The Bulls give away a player who provides absolutely nothing basketball-wise, but they get a player with a lot to offer in return.  Aaron Gray was doing nothing for the Bulls except taking up space on the bench.  He’s played in a total of 49 minutes this entire season, appearing in 8 games.  He is a big body, with decent foot work, but he’s certainly not a professional basketball player.  He could be a professional cheerleader though.  I am certainly going to miss his towel-waving and his ever-present sh*t-eating grin.  Truth be told, it made me happy watching his reactions during the Bulls-Celtics series.  No one appreciates being in the NBA more than Aaron Gray, because it’s almost like he knows that it’s obvious that he doesn’t belong.  And for that, I give him credit.  But by trading him, we lost nothing but his exuberance on the bench.

Devin Brown, on the other hand, gives you a legit three-point shooter, something the Bulls have lacked for the majority of the season.  He is actually only shooting about 37% from the arc on the season, which is the same as Kirk Hinrich, and just below John Salmons.  Anything is better than Jannero Pargo’s absurd 27% from the arc.  37% from downtown is legit, and he’s good for about 2 threes per game guaranteed.  His presence off the bench will allow the Bulls to spread the floor and prevent Vinny from being forced to bring in Jannero Pargo when Hinrich and Salmons are hurt or in foul trouble.  Pargo clearly was a total waste of a 1-year contract.  So basically, the Bulls gained a legit three-point shooter for free today.  In addition, Brown becomes somewhat of an insurance policy if the Bulls are successful in trading Hinrich, which they are desperately trying to do.  He is a better three-point shooter than Hinrich, so points-wise, he’ll score more than Hinrich.  Defense-wise, he’s obviously a downgrade.  But he’s a much bigger guard at 6’5″ than Hinrich is, so that surely makes up for some of what the Bulls lose if Hinrich is gone, because as good as Kirk is on defense, he’s still a shrimp guarding big slashers.  Brown is no shrimp.  The loss of Hinrich likely would have been a major detriment to the Bulls’ playoff chances, but with the addition of Brown, the loss of Hinrich is more blah than anything else.  Don’t get me wrong, the loss of Hinrich will definitely hurt, and Brown is definitely not what you’d consider a major piece of the puzzle, but his presence will surely will soften the blow if we do lose Hinrich.  True depth (not Jannero Pargo depth) and height on the perimeter can never hurt you.

And in case you were wondering, Devin Brown is only making $1.1 million dollars this year, and his contract expires at the end of the year…so no, the Bulls are not taking on more salary, and no, this trade does not really impact them financially.

Overall, a very good trade for the Bulls.  They literally lose nothing, but gain an effective three-point threat and solid scorer who adds height on the perimeter.  I’ll allow it.