If the Chicago Bulls are going to land Carmelo Anthony, it will be on the strength of a few salary cap reducing trades. One of those trades won’t involve Carlos Boozer to the Knicks.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the Knicks have no interest in adding Boozers $16.8 million expiring salary to the mix.
However, league sources continue to indicate that despite Boozer’s expiring $16.8 million deal dovetailing with the Knicks’ plan for massive salary-cap space in 2015, the Knicks have no interest in acquiring Boozer as of now.
Thus, the Bulls might have to sign Anthony, whom everyone from coach Tom Thibodeau to Rose is on board with adding, via outright salary-cap space. Using the amnesty provision on Boozer only nets them roughly $11 million of space, depending on where the cap is set July 1. The Bulls would have to sell off other pieces for nothing in return to create more cap space and would prefer obviously to keep Taj Gibson. So would Anthony should he land with the Bulls.
For all of Boozers flaws, he averaged 13.7 points and 8.3 rebounds in 28.2 minutes per game for the Bulls last season.