Looks like bye to Ben, but there's still a chance Gordon will stay with Bulls
The Ben Gordon era may already be over in Chicago.
At 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday morning, the Bulls' leading scorer for the past four seasons becomes an unrestricted free agent.
After the league's negotiating period ends and the new salary cap is set, Gordon will be free to sign with any team on or around July 9.
Detroit, with about $19 million in cap space, is expected to be an ardent pursuer. Adding Gordon to a backcourt of Richard Hamilton and Rodney Stuckey doesn't seem logical, since none of the three is a true point guard.
But multiple media reports from Detroit have suggested that Gordon is the Pistons' target, along with Milwaukee forward Charlie Villanueva.
There is no telling how this will turn out. But the choices are pretty simple from the Bulls' perspective, because Gordon has made it clear he'd prefer to stay put:
• If the Bulls are willing to make the same offer as last year, around $9 million per season, their chances of re-signing Gordon would be excellent.
The Bulls are not expected to make an early contract offer, though. They plan to wait and let Gordon test the market for himself.
• Chances are, the Bulls would end up paying the NBA's luxury tax for one season if they do re-sign Gordon.
• If Gordon walks away for nothing in return, the Bulls would get a consolation prize: the chance to open up enough room under the salary cap to compete for one of 2010's coveted free agents.
LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer and Joe Johnson are just a few of the players due to hit the open market.
The feeling is Bulls management would prefer to re-sign Gordon, keeping all of the team's assets on hand for a potential blockbuster trade in the next 12 months that might bring a quality big man in return.
When it comes to paying the luxury tax, though, the only opinion that counts belongs to chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. He has been strongly opposed to paying the tax in the past, but there are a couple of circumstances this year that would soften the blow.
Since the Bulls have about $23 million in expiring contracts between Brad Miller, Tim Thomas and Jerome James, they would only have to pay the tax for one year.
Also, paying the luxury tax brings a double whammy in the NBA because the tax money is distributed to the teams below the threshold. When New York and Portland used to pad their payrolls incessantly, the payoff grew to around $4 million per team.
Now, teams have become much more cost-conscious - even the New York Knicks - which means next year's tax distribution will most likely be less than $1 million per team.
Another option if the Bulls re-sign Gordon is to try to trim the payroll by trading Kirk Hinrich, but they can't be certain of avoiding the luxury tax by taking that path.
The Bulls' decision on Gordon is difficult even without the luxury tax. He was one of just six NBA guards who averaged at least 20 points while shooting better than 45 percent from the field last season.
The others were Kobe Bryant, Wade, Chris Paul, Tony Parker and Brandon Roy. Gordon also has been one of the league's best clutch shooters since he was drafted with the No. 3 pick in 2004.
On the other hand, the Bulls may never win big with a small backcourt. Gordon is just 6-feet-2 and plays next to 6-3 Derrick Rose.
The Bulls could turn the shooting guard role over to 6-6 John Salmons and Hinrich, a much better defender than Gordon, and have cap space in 2010.
Besides Detroit, Oklahoma City and Memphis are the only teams with significant cap room this summer. The Thunder could be a possibility for Gordon, but rumors have suggested OKC will go after Utah restricted free agent Paul Millsap.
Portland and Toronto can open somewhere around $8 million, and both those teams are expected to have strong interest in Orlando forward Hedo Turkoglu.
Some other notable free agents are Mike Bibby, Ron Artest, Lamar Odom, Jason Kidd, Andre Miller, Shawn Marion and Rasheed Wallace.
The Salt Lake Tribune reported that Boozer declined to opt out of his contract, meaning he will wait until 2010 to hit the market.
The Pistons pulled a shocking move on the eve of free agency by firing coach Michael Curry after one tumultuous season. There was talk that the relationship between Curry and Hamilton was strained by the coach's decision to start Allen Iverson at two guard last season.