How did the draft change potential Chris Bosh sign and trade scenarios?

First let me put this out there, though not likely as he has expressed his willingness to work with the Raptors on a possible sign and trade to get him the most money possible, Bosh can sign outright with the Bulls, Heat, Knicks and Nets. He only needs us as sign and trade partners to help maximize his earning potential and/or if he chooses the Lakers or Rockets as his destination.

First some notes:

The Bulls unloaded Kirk Hinrich to the Wizards and now have enough salary cap room to offer two max contracts….without a sign and trade, which is significant.

The Heat unloaded Daequan Cook and now have enough space for two max contracts and another contract around $11 million, of course if players agree to take a pay cut they can potentially land LBJ and Bosh in addition to retaining Wade.

Now on to the draft implications:

Bulls: The Bulls now appear to be one of Chris Bosh’s most likely destinations and now armed with space for two max contracts they have mitigated the leverage the opposing G.M’s may have had in a potential sign and trade talks. Bad news for the Raptors and the Cavaliers.

Now while our targets were likely Taj Gibson and James Johnson before the draft, after Ed Davis fell into our lap we may now, unlikely as it sounds, target Luol Deng and James Johnson which is a deal the Bulls would quickly agree to as they are worried Colangelo will insist on Joakim Noah.

Heat: The Heat cleared some additional space by unloading Daequan Cook, but also added four 2nd round picks, some of which may come into play in potential sign and trade scenario’s. The Raptors are rumoured to have no interest in Beasley, but I am not sure this is true…his talent is undeniable.

The Heat picked up some interesting players in Dexter Pittman, Jarvis Varando, Latavious Williams and DeSean Butler. Williams and Butler will be two players that Bryan Colangelo likely keys in on if Chris Bosh decides that Miami is to be his new home.

Update: Latest scuttlebutt around the NBA has that Bosh to Miami is a forgone conclusion.

Lakers: The Lakers had a very solid draft and landed Devin Ebanks and Derrick Caracter.  Ebanks is a player that worked out for Toronto twice and Bryan Colangelo would likely insist that any sign and trade to the Lakers include him. The Raptors are heavily interested in Andrew Bynum despite his scary knee issues and will likely push for Bosh to pick the Lakers.

A sign and trade with the Lakers would likely start with Andrew Bynum and Devin Ebanks.

Knicks: Any sign and trade scenario with the Knicks would have to include David Lee or Wilson Chandler. I would prefer Chandler but understand David Lee would have more trade value if we were to use him as an asset in another deal.  The Knicks added two players that may interest the Raptors in Landry Fields, an excellent scoring small forward from Stanford, and Canadian Andy Rautins. I am not really a booster of either but I wouldn’t complain if we landed one of them.

Rockets: The Rockets landed a player the Raptors highly coveted and were actually set to pick at #13 in Patrick Patterson; Ed Davis falling in the draft changed that plan but you can bet that Bryan Colangelo would love to get his hands on Patterson if the Rockets recruiting pitch to Bosh is successful. A sign and trade with the Rockets now makes more sense than ever and would likely include Patterson, Hill and Scola who is a free agent and can also play the 3. Scola and Patterson could compete for minutes at the 3, and Scola would provide Bargnani an opportunity to switch assignments on the defensive end with the small forward if needed.

Nets: The Nets had the third overall pick in Derrick Favors, and he is a tantalizing prospect, but rumour has it that he might be in play in possible deals which is good news. Chris Bosh mentioned on the radio that the Nets are also definitely in play as a consideration and a sign and trade scenario with the Nets would hopefully, if they are willing to give him up, include Derrick Favors and Terrence Williams. Otherwise it will be Yi and Williams which would still not be a bad haul.

New Rankings (you can see our old ones here):

1. Rockets
2. Heat
3. Nets (If Favors is in play)
4. Lakers (due to Bynum’s knees)
5. Bulls
6. Knicks

Which scenario do you like best?

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