Chicago Bulls scoring guard Ben Gordon will be a free agent this summer. The team reportedly offered him a reasonable, generous contract that Gordon didn’t want to accept.
But as is the case every off-season, only a small handful of teams will have salary cap space to offer anything more than the mid-level exception. And I see no reason to think that any of the squads that will have money available will offer Gordon a better deal than the Bulls did.
It’s very possible he winds up staying in Chicago.
Here’s the Arlington Heights Daily Herald (Mike McGraw):
Oklahoma City and Memphis are two teams that will have the ability to chase free agents. But as two of the league’s smallest markets, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if both teams decided to sit tight and spend little. Also, Gordon makes no sense for the Grizzlies since they have O.J. Mayo at two guard and the Thunder might have greater need for a point guard, depending on how they see rookie Russell Westbrook fitting in.
One team that figures to be planning a significant makeover is Detroit, which can create about $20 million in cap space by letting Allen Iverson and Rasheed Wallace walk away as free agents. With Wallace and possibly Antonio McDyess leaving, the Pistons’ top priority is a big man, with Carlos Boozer or Lamar Odom possible targets.
The Bulls see Gordon the same way they always have, as a scorer who still needs to improve other aspects of his game.
