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| Photo by Keith Allison |
Can the Bulls sign Carmelo Anthony as a free agent (without a sign and trade) and then have enough assets left to trade for Kevin Love?
A reader sent me that question (kudos to Jay Sparkz)but when he asked, it was with the attached condition that Melo sign for the same salary as Derrick Rose (who will make $18,862,876 in 2014-15). That answer is... well, I can't tell you in the second paragraph, where's the fun in that? I'd rather explain the reasons on the way.
To start, we'll assume that Rose and/or Joakim Noah won't be dumped to sign Melo, and they won't be traded for Love. I wouldn't consider either move, and most Bulls fans wouldn't, either.
To start, we'll assume that Rose and/or Joakim Noah won't be dumped to sign Melo, and they won't be traded for Love. I wouldn't consider either move, and most Bulls fans wouldn't, either.
The Bulls will have to send out a minimum of $12,495,250 in order to absorb Kevin Love's salary in a trade. And they are required to have 12 players on the roster during the summer- every empty roster spot incurs a charge of $507,336 (the rookie minimum salary) against the salary cap.
The current estimate is that the salary cap will be $63.2 million next season (according to Larry Coon). If the Bulls sign Melo for $18,862,876 next season, while keeping Noah and Rose, that's a combined $55,325,110 in salary (that total includes the $334,000 cap charge for the last year of Rip Hamilton's buyout).
Read the entire article on The Bullsville Blog