NBA Rumors: Doug McDermott hurts Chicago Bulls chances of acquiring Carmelo Anthony
By Josh Hill
The Chicago Bulls pulled off a nice draft night trade that netted them Doug McDermott from the Denver Nuggets and saw them give up the two first round picks they were looking to shed. But while the trade landed them the best shooting prospect int he draft, it may have cost them a bit in their pursuit of Carmelo Anthony.
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What the Bulls were trying to do by trading the No. 16 and No. 19 picks in the draft was to shed the rookie wage salary that would have been attached to those picks had they used them. But According to Mark Deeks of Sham Sports, the Bulls actually hurt themselves by acquiring Doug McDermott than they otherwise would have if they’d kept the picks they traded.
"By adding that money to McDermott’s $1.898 million cap hold as the 11th pick and a roster charge of over $500,000, the Bulls actually added money to the payroll in this deal rather than create more space for Anthony by consolidating picks. All told, Chicago has about $1 million less to offer Carmelo in free agency (assuming they amnesty Carlos Boozer) than they would have had they drafted Jusuf Nurkic and Gary Harris themselves."
It’s hard to see the Bulls losing out that much on Melo if they only have $1 million less to offer him but it’s worth noting since every penny might end up counting i the courtship of Carmelo Anthony.
Still, the Bulls remain the best landing spot for Melo and if they $1 million is off the table in negotiations with the forward, then Chicago has to have been helped in the eyes of Melo by the acquisition of McDermott.