John Salmons opting in?

[dougthonus]

I've heard that John Salmons is presently thinking that he will pick up his player option next summer. It's a long way away, and I think he'll change his mind, but if it were to go down today he'd opt in from what I hear.

 

[Morten Jensen]

If he has another season like this one, then that's going to change like that *Snaps fingers*

If not, then we have a terrific talent at a very, very good price for the next two seasons.

 

[??? ??????]

I'm not too surprised by this. He seems like a good fit here, and seems to have a good thing going on the court with Rose and Gordon.

I think his reasoning behind this is that the economy will probably be a lot better in 2011 then it will be in 2010.

 

[PJ Brown]

I've figured he will opt out, just figuring that's how NBA players think. I'm having a great year, I'm the man, I want a big contract while I'm still in my prime. I'm not, however, convinced that will work out that well for him in 2010. I'm hoping he stays as a fan, and I figure he probably won't make more money per year if he opts out.

 

[dougthonus]

PJ Brown wrote:

I've figured he will opt out, just figuring that's how NBA players think. I'm having a great year, I'm the man, I want a big contract while I'm still in my prime. I'm not, however, convinced that will work out that well for him in 2010. I'm hoping he stays as a fan, and I figure he probably won't make more money per year if he opts out.

Well his thinking right now doesn't seem to be on those lines. He thinks there's too many people in the 2010 crowd and that teams will be looking to save money. He definitely seems very level headed about it.

I think he'll come to realize that hitting FA a year earlier will be to his advantage, even if he doesn't up his salary he'll get more years by going a year earlier.

Economic recovery could help him out some if it gets to 2011, but there's no guaranteed for economic recovery, and there is a guarantee on his age. Plus he's got to have two good years to prove his good vs just one more good year.

 

[TheStig]

That would be great, I'd love to keep him for another year at a bargain basement price. I have always thought that he would be a 2010 guy and be off the team or on a bigger team. I love what he brings and think he is an excellent fit playing the 2/3 spots. If Deng returns to form, we would have an incredible 2/3 rotation going forward. If not Salmons is a good SF going forward. I wonder if by not opting out, he thinks his market value is around the MLE? If so, I would love to keep him around for a few more years.

 

[Manic Devourer]

I'm not entirely sure. I mean obviously it's a good thing that he decides to 'opt in' especially considering that he is on a very good contract, but just going along the thinking that he is somewhat satisfied with his current contract and is willing to play his cards for a bigger contract, why not just re-sign him at 7-8 million per for 4 and hope that he'll choose security over the money. Plus, 8 million per extension for 4 season isn't too shabby, I'd even extend it an additional year if push came to shove.

Only real down side is his age, he turns 30 next season, but I think it was Paxson who said that his first couple of season he didn't play many minutes so his body hasn't taken as much of a pounding as he would if he were to have played 30 + minutes from earlier on in his career. He hasn't really played significant minutes until about a season or 2 ago, and hasn't had any serious injuries, so there is no reason why he can't perform at a very high level for another 4 years.

Sign Salmons to an extension!

 

[darius miles davis]

After next season, especially if we are able to trade for a big of our choice this offseason, we should consider extending Salmons for three years.

 

[dougthonus]

darius miles davis wrote:

After next season, especially if we are able to trade for a big of our choice this offseason, we should consider extending Salmons for three years.

If we could rework a contract with him to do a 3 year extension + his option year then I think that'd be ideal. Actually I think maybe 3 total more years after this year would be ideal, but you give him the extra year because someone else will if you won't.

 

[ryguy24]

It's sort of a win-win in my opinion. If he opts-in, then we likely have a very solid player at a good price. If he opts out, then it means that he has likely been a very very good player for us (and likely deserving of his next contract).

 

[The Half Moon Bay]

I don't know how I feel about Salmons opting in, but I definitely want to keep him around for at least the next 4-5 years. He has been a great fit with this team and would, most likely, continue to be a good fit if the Bulls got Amare or Bosh. He brings an ability to get to the rim that only Rose has, and Salmons is presently a little better at finishing. This is probably due to his height and I expect Rose to surpass him soon, but the fact is he is a solid player. Many people also point to his age as a negative, but we should remember that often times a player's mileage is more important than his actual age. For example, Kobe is a very old 30. He has been playing 82+ games for 12 or 13 seasons, and most seasons has played well over 100 games. Salmons, on the other hand, is a very young 29. According to that logic, he should age pretty well and continue to be effective into his mid-30s. I also like the fact that his shot has improved A LOT. If he can continue to improve his outside shot, he will be able to offset a decline in athleticism.

 

[TheStig]

I think John will be fine for another 4-5 years. He hasn't played heavy minutes in his career, has held up well over his career and his game is the equivalent of Brad Miller if he player on the wing. Not to mention that he is a good outside shooter that spreads the floor and plays good D. Even if he declined a little he would still be an excellent bench player and give us a spark of the bench. Its a good sign he is leaning against opting out because that means he doesn't think he could do much better. I mean if he were sure he could get 7-8 mill over 4-5 yrs he would opt out for sure.

 

[Dpauley23]

If he continues to play like this the Bulls might actually reward him with new contract somewhere along the lines 3 years 25 million

 

[HeavyC]

There are sure worse problems the team could have. Knowing we can potentially keep Salmons for a bit longer, would make me a little more confident in letting Gordon go this summer.

I'd still rather keep Gordon and Salmons and trade away Deng, but that's more of a wish then actual reality I think.

 

[collisrost]

He's the guy we should be negotiating a contract extension with this year, we might be able to get a couple extra years tacked on at a reasonable price.

 

[Ben B.]

Dpauley23 wrote:

If he continues to play like this the Bulls might actually reward him with new contract somewhere along the lines 3 years 25 million

I'd put the chances of that happening at less than 1.7%. The Bulls aren't even guaranteed to offer Gordon that much money, and he's 4.5 years younger than Salmons. 30 year olds don't usually get that kind of money unless they're stars.

I'm with ryguy: it could work out well for us either way. In Doug's 100th podcast he and I discussed the possibility that Salmons might do well with us and then opt out, which could itself leave us more money to throw at big-time FAs. If he stays with us and is playing well, that's OK as well (especially if the really big-time FAs are off the market). The only really bad scenario for us would be Salmons getting hurt or playing a lot worse next season and for one of those reasons opting in, thus tying up that payroll money without strengthening our team. Here's hoping that that doesn't happen.

 

[TheStig]

Ben,
I disagree, Salmons comes up for a new contract at a much better time then BG.In 2010 the bulls will most likely have cap space and in this summer we are right up against the LT. Also, I think by the time Salmons contract comes up, we will have moved one of Kirk or BG, freeing up even more space. Lastly by them we should be a better team no matter what and JR might even be willing to pay the LT or we may have a new owner. Salmons will just be more fortunate due to being at the right place at the right time.

 

[Dpauley23]

We obvisious need to keep one of Salmons or Gordon if we want to contend for upcoming years. As for his age he hasn't really played that many minutes besides this year or the next so he should have about 5 good years in his body. With Rose, Amare/Bosh, and Salmons that pretty good core to build around. How funny is it were paying Deng to be fourth option at 12 million year

 

[??? ??????]

How valid is the "Salmons is like a younger player because he hasn't played that many minutes argument?"

I don't think all too many of the minutes come from games.

Salmons still had to go through all those practices, shoot arounds, and his own training to become the player he is. I think he would have similar wear and tear to people his age.

 

[dougthonus]

??? ?????? wrote:

How valid is the "Salmons is like a younger player because he hasn't played that many minutes argument?"

I don't think all too many of the minutes come from games.

Salmons still had to go through all those practices, shoot arounds, and his own training to become the player he is. I think he would have similar wear and tear to people his age.

I imagine there is a decent amount of truth to it. Playing in college you have more limited practice time, you have far less games, so it's a lot less wear.

Practice is no where near as grueling as game time, because you're not going through practice at full speed for every second of it. Granted the total practice hours add up still, but I'd imagine that playing less does make a difference.

I don't know that it makes him 2 years younger per se, as his athleticism is still likely to go at the same age, but as far as the aches, pains, and abuse on the knees that shouldn't be as bad as with a guy who's actually played more.