The Armchair GM Knows Best Thread - Choose Your Own Adventure

[Scoot26]

A buyout is a mutual agreement between the team and player where the player agrees to forgo a portion of his remaining salary to enter FA. For example you could try to convince Lonzo to give up 10M of his remaining 40M salary and then you'd owe him 30M total over the remainder of his contract.

The simple answer is, he'll still count against the cap because no way he'll waive his whole contract so for you, just let it play out.

One of the options is the stretch provision which gives you more cap space sooner, but he'll be on the books much later.

Many feel it best to just pay him his full salary over the next two seasons then be completely done with him.

In the sense that I have moved in favor of the Bulls tanking, it probably does make more sense to keep him on the payroll to eat up salary space. However, it would also depend what the Bulls could do in the 2024 off-season outside of the draft. At that point, you may want to buy out Lonzo's final year via stretch provision if you need the space. Also a possibility in that scenario a team who needs to fill cap space by requirement may take Lonzo's last year in a dump trade, though the Bulls likely have to give up a 2nd round pick or something additionally in such a move.

 

[knoxville7]

In a broad/general sense…

Trade Demar

Sign and Trade Vuc

Trade Drummond

Let coby walk unless the best offer he gets is super team friendly to match. I’m talking like 5 mil per year

Get younger and more athletic and able to play positionless basketball

Focus on lengthy players with a 3 point shot(this is what they attempted to do in signing Lonzo, and was the correct move at the time…only looks bad in captain hindsight mode)

 

[Enasic]

Not remotely hindsight when a player has had knee issues and missed significant time every single season in his career. Hardly a surprise that the issue got worse. It was a known risk that the Bulls decided to take, and it blew up in their face. It was a risk that NOLA obviously had no interest in taking, and they made the right decision in letting him walk.

 

[knoxville7]

Not remotely hindsight when a player has had knee issues and missed significant time every single season in his career. Hardly a surprise that the issue got worse. It was a known risk that the Bulls decided to take, and it blew up in their face. It was a risk that NOLA obviously had no interest in taking, and they made the right decision in letting him walk.

Typical, can’t even @ me when countering something I said

And unless you can show a post from when the bulls signed Lonzo saying this, then yeah it’s hindsight. I don’t recall you or anyone else complaining about the signing due to injury concerns.

So again, either provide proof or STFU, captain hindsight

 

[Scoot26]

Not remotely hindsight when a player has had knee issues and missed significant time every single season in his career. Hardly a surprise that the issue got worse. It was a known risk that the Bulls decided to take, and it blew up in their face. It was a risk that NOLA obviously had no interest in taking, and they made the right decision in letting him walk.

Lonzo no doubt had injury concerns, but I don't think anyone foresaw this kind of knee injury happening to him. He has missed significant time every season, but so has Alex Caruso.

I was never expecting Lonzo to be an 82 game player, not even 70. Would be happy if he could get to 60. Obviously all we got was 35, which is unfortunate.

 

[Enasic]

Typical, can’t even @ me when countering something I said

And unless you can show a post from when the bulls signed Lonzo saying this, then yeah it’s hindsight. I don’t recall you or anyone else complaining about the signing due to injury concerns.

So again, either provide proof or STFU, captain hindsight

I always spoke out against going after lonzo. It doesn’t matter though. It’s hardly hindsight for a professional basketball team and FO that the guy with a history of injuries and missed time throughout his career got worse. The gambled. They lost.

Shocker that you disliked and/or yawned at one of my posts and responded like a hormonal teenager. Your predictability and pettiness is astounding.

 

[Enasic]

Lonzo no doubt had injury concerns, but I don't think anyone foresaw this kind of knee injury happening to him. He has missed significant time every season, but so has Alex Caruso.

I was never expecting Lonzo to be an 82 game player, not even 70. Would be happy if he could get to 60. Obviously all we got was 35, which is unfortunate.

That’s fair but compare the contracts. Lonzo had a known history. Missed time every year. There was an obvious trend. The Bulls ignored it and inked him to 20 mil a year over 4 years. NOLA let him walk as I’m sure the risk/reward for them didn’t make sense. It is what it is

 

[Scoot26]

That’s fair but compare the contracts. Lonzo had a known history. Missed time every year. There was an obvious trend. The Bulls ignored it and inked him to 20 mil a year over 4 years. NOLA let him walk as I’m sure the risk/reward for them didn’t make sense. It is what it is

Agreed, it is what it is.

I was originally against Lonzo, though not really for injury concerns, more so I just didn't like his dad and extended it to him. He was also a bust of a #2 pick, though often times you can stop thinking about that once a guy moves on from his original team.

Most of his injuries were minor.

He played 52 out of 82 his rookie year, 47 out of 82 his second year. Lakers traded him to NOLA where he played 63 out of 72 games (so only missed 9 games). In 2020-21 he played in 55 out of 72. So in his first 4 years he did play in over half of the games played every season. I'd take that as an indicator the guy is going to miss games, but nothing too serious.

No one foresaw him having what should have been a minor knee injury turning into a 2-3 year recovery.

There was a market for Lonzo in that off-season, but the Bulls certainly jumped on it really early. A big swing and miss for AK, which cost the Bulls a draft pick in tampering as well.

 

[knoxville7]

I always spoke out against going after lonzo. It doesn’t matter though. It’s hardly hindsight for a professional basketball team and FO that the guy with a history of injuries and missed time throughout his career got worse. The gambled. They lost.

Shocker that you disliked and/or yawned at one of my posts and responded like a hormonal teenager. Your predictability and pettiness is astounding.

Yes, you spoke out against the trade for Lonzo. Yet, somehow you never mentioned injuries as your reasoning why you didn’t like the trade.

So again, you didn’t have any more knowledge than AKME did regarding injuries to Lonzo. You just like to pretend you did.

The receipts are out there

And yes, I dislike your post for not @ing me and stating false info. If that makes me a “hormonal teenager” then so be it

 

[clonetrooper264]

This is not the whine about AK thread. The problems are well known. This is about solutions

 

[Enasic]

Agreed, it is what it is.

I was originally against Lonzo, though not really for injury concerns, more so I just didn't like his dad and extended it to him. He was also a bust of a #2 pick, though often times you can stop thinking about that once a guy moves on from his original team.

Most of his injuries were minor.

He played 52 out of 82 his rookie year, 47 out of 82 his second year. Lakers traded him to NOLA where he played 63 out of 72 games (so only missed 9 games). In 2020-21 he played in 55 out of 72. So in his first 4 years he did play in over half of the games played every season. I'd take that as an indicator the guy is going to miss games, but nothing too serious.

No one foresaw him having what should have been a minor knee injury turning into a 2-3 year recovery.

There was a market for Lonzo in that off-season, but the Bulls certainly jumped on it really early. A big swing and miss for AK, which cost the Bulls a draft pick in tampering as well.

I don’t think anyone imagined his knee would die but hardly surprising that injuries would end up being a problem. I digress though, it is what it is

 

[Scoot26]

What are some PG's out there the Bulls could try and acquire?

 

[knoxville7]

This is not the whine about AK thread. The problems are well known. This is about solutions

I tried keeping him on topic and out of hindsight mode. Directions aren’t his strong suit

 

[knoxville7]

What are some PG's out there the Bulls could try and acquire?

In FA not much. Kyrie will be a FA, but don’t see that happening

It’d have to be via trade, kinda like how they acquired Lonzo. Maybe S&T Vuc for a PG? But likely that PG won’t be anything too great

 

[Enasic]

Although extremely unlikely, I’d go all in on Shai Gilgeous Alexander. Doubt they’d go for Zach / Williams and a pick or 2 but I’d try. Only 24 and putting up a PER of 27 and WS/48 of .224

Those are legit franchise player numbers. Again, doubt OKC has any interest. There are not a lot of options out there at PG that really move the needle. I would try like hell to get Portland to change the protections on the pick so the Bulls can at least have that resource to work with

 

[Scoot26]

In FA not much. Kyrie will be a FA, but don’t see that happening

It’d have to be via trade, kinda like how they acquired Lonzo. Maybe S&T Vuc for a PG? But likely that PG won’t be anything too great

Guess that's kind of the problem. PG is a huge need, and will be hard to find one.

 

[Scoot26]

Although extremely unlikely, I’d go all in on Shai Gilgeous Alexander. Doubt they’d go for Zach / Williams and a pick or 2 but I’d try. Only 24 and putting up a PER of 27 and WS/48 of .224

Those are legit franchise player numbers. Again, doubt OKC has any interest. There are not a lot of options out there at PG that really move the needle. I would try like hell to get Portland to change the protections on the pick so the Bulls can at least have that resource to work with

Pretty sure OKC will never trade SGA, short of him being disgruntled.

Also, I don't know the "legality" of changing a pick protection. Not sure if its easy to do or not.

 

[Enasic]

Pretty sure OKC will never trade SGA, short of him being disgruntled.

Also, I don't know the "legality" of changing a pick protection. Not sure if its easy to do or not.

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[knoxville7]

Guess that's kind of the problem. PG is a huge need, and will be hard to find one.

100%. And while we can pipe dream about SGA, I’d prefer we keep it to realistic options.

Also, not sure trading ZL and PWill for SGA makes much difference in the standings. Bulls would seemingly be in a very similar situation they currently are in

Bulls have to find a way to add a legit PG without giving up ZL. Otherwise, there’s not much point. You’ll just be in the 6-10 seed range at best once again with no high draft picks coming and no FA options

 

[Enasic]

100%. And while we can pipe dream about SGA, I’d prefer we keep it to realistic options.

Also, not sure trading ZL and PWill for SGA makes much difference in the standings. Bulls would seemingly be in a very similar situation they currently are in

Bulls have to find a way to add a legit PG without giving up ZL. Otherwise, there’s not much point. You’ll just be in the 6-10 seed range at best once again with no high draft picks coming and no FA options

It’s obviously a pipe dream but I’d rather have a legit franchise level player and then figure it out from there, as opposed to having no legit franchise level player and trying to solve the problem with adding role players.

No use really taking it further though. I agree SGA isn’t happening.