Bulls Aim to Sign Rose to Extension, May Trade for Howard
By Chuck Sudo in News on Dec 13, 2011 3:00PM
As the Bulls continue training camp, reports are circulating that the team will lock down Derrick Rose for the foreseeable future with a contract extension reportedly worth $94 million over five years.
Both Rose and Bulls GM Gar Forman expressed hope the deal could be completed soon. Rose said he's letting agents Arn Tellem and B.J. Armstrong dot the "i's" and cross the "t's" on the deal.
"If it was up to me, yes, I would sign quick," Rose said during Sunday's media day at the Berto Center. "But I know I'm not worried about that right now. I know that when the time comes, I know that I'll sign."
Forman called Rose the centerpiece to the Bulls championship plans.
"Obviously, we want Derrick to be a Chicago Bull for a long, long time. To us, obviously, it's very important that we put the right pieces around Derrick that he's able to have success, that we have success, and that he remains a Chicago Bull. So we're talking to his representatives now and hopefully we'll be able to get something done here in a pretty short amount of time."
But Rose alone can't win a title. Which is why the team may be interested in pursuing Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard. "Superman," who seems to run into kryptonite during the playoffs, has demanded a trade and is hoping to land in New Jersey or with the Lakers. But the Magic may want to open up the bidding in order to get a sizable return for trading Howard. The Bulls can also build a trade package for Howard around salary cap relief, which they'll need once Rose signs his extension. Under the terms of the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement, Rose's salary will be 30 percent of the team's salary cap, thanks to a rule allowing a player finishing his rookie contract to make 30 percent of a team's salary cap if he's been voted an All-Star starter twice, twice been voted All-NBA or won an MVP award.
Rose is the reigning NBA MVP.
A Bulls team with Rose and Howard would give the Bulls the inside-out game they were hoping for when they signed Carlos Boozer last year. We're assuming any trade package for Howard would also include Boozer, Luol Deng or Joakim Noah, and we could live with that.
The Bulls are also expected to sign Detroit guard Rip Hamilton, once he's bought out of his contract. Hamilton would be the answer at shooting guard... five years ago. But his skills have diminished considerably and he would wind up in a two-guard rotation that includes Keith Bogans, Ronnie Brewer and Kyle Korver. There's also the issue of Hamilton's leadership skills, as he was instrumental in getting Pistons head coach John Kuester fired last season with his attitude.