|
The Bulls have considered the possibility of trading Deng for a high pick in this year’s draft. The reason has nothing to do with how much they appreciate Deng or any disappointment that he’s planning to postpone wrist surgery to play in the Olympics. It’s more about creating some financial flexibility on a team with four high-salaried players – Deng, Derrick Rose, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah.
So far, it looks like there aren’t any takers. It’s very possible no team wants to take on that much salary ($27 million over the next two years) for a guy who’s likely to miss the start of next season recovering from wrist surgery.
There was talk that Golden State, with the No. 7 pick, was interested. But that makes no sense because the Warriors already have a bloated payroll featuring Andrew Bogut, David Lee, Richard Jefferson and Andris Biedrins – not to mention a pending extension for Stephen Curry.
— Reported by Mike McGraw of the Arlington Heights Daily Herald
