And-Ones: Max Players, Clippers, Bulls, Payrolls
The benefits to this summer’s max-level free agents of signing a short-term deal to re-enter free agency when the cap surges in the next couple of years outweigh the risks, argues Louis Roxin of RealGM. A couple of executives who spoke to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders take the opposite viewpoint, arguing that the specter of a decline in production, a major injury, or both make it too difficult to pass up a four- or five-year deal (Twitter links). Of course, team executives probably want to avoid paying a premium if they can avoid it, but how it all plays out this summer will be fascinating to watch. Here’s more from around the league:
- Clippers reserve Dahntay Jones insists there’s no rift between DeAndre Jordan and Chris Paul, as had been reported, telling TMZ that everyone on the team is united in their desire for Jordan to re-sign in free agency this summer. “Those guys are brothers, man,” Jones said of Jordan and Paul. “They sit with each other on the plane, on the bus. If you don’t like a guy you stay away from him.”
- The Bulls front office was miffed when Tom Thibodeau left his last contract extension unsigned for months and think he hasn’t given them enough credit for building the roster, while some in the organization feel the coach wants more power, as Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com hears. Friedell provides a timeline of the breakdown in the relationship between the coach and the Chicago brass.
- The Nets have the highest 2014/15 payroll, but their paltry $351K in money to the waived Brandon Davies pales in comparison to the $24.8MM the crosstown Knicks spent on six players no longer on the roster, including Amar’e Stoudemire, as Pincus examines.
Teams With The Most 2015 Draft Picks
Don’t cry for the Sixers because they didn’t wind up with either of the two extra lottery picks that could have come their way. GM Sam Hinkie isn’t morose about it, in part because the team will receive those first-rounders from the Lakers and Heat eventually, and because Philadelphia has a league-high six total picks this year anyway. That’s the case even though the Sixers traded away their own second-round pick. Only the Celtics, with four, even come close. If there’s a team that deserves sympathy, it’s the Clippers. They’re the only franchise without a pick this year, and thanks in large measure to their max deals for Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, they’re without many other means to improve this offseason.
Five of Philly’s six picks come in the second round, including two of the last three picks, a result of Hinkie’s prioritization of second-rounders in trades. A second-round pick isn’t as likely to become a productive player as a first-round pick is, but the Sixers have five times as many chances to find an exception to the rule than they would if they had stood pat.
While 19 of this year’s 60 picks changed hands, including 14 in the second round, precisely half the teams in the league possess two picks, the same number as if there hadn’t been any trades. Some of those teams did trade at least one of their selections, but in those cases, they pulled off other deals to even the ledger.
Here’s a breakdown of each team’s picks, categorized by the total amount of selections they have. To check out the order by selection, click here:
Six picks
- Sixers (3, 35, 37, 47, 58, 60)
Four picks
- Celtics (16, 28, 33, 45)
Three picks
- Hawks (15, 50, 59)
- Jazz (12, 42, 54)
- Lakers (2, 27, 34)
- Timberwolves (1, 31, 36)
Two picks
- Bucks (17, 46)
- Cavaliers (24, 53)
- Heat (10, 40)
- Hornets (9, 39)
- Magic (5, 51)
- Mavericks (21, 52)
- Nets (29, 41)
- Nuggets (7, 57)
- Pacers (11, 43)
- Pistons (8, 38)
- Rockets (18, 32)
- Spurs (26, 55)
- Suns (13, 44)
- Thunder (14, 48)
- Wizards (19, 49)
One pick
- Bulls (22)
- Grizzlies (25)
- Kings (6)
- Knicks (4)
- Pelicans (56)
- Raptors (20)
- Trail Blazers (23)
- Warriors (30)
No picks
- Clippers
Northwest Notes: Nuggets, Wolves, Batum
The centerpieces for the Nuggets appear to be Danilo Gallinari and Jusuf Nurkic, as Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post sees it, and Kiszla finds it reasonable that the team will talk this summer about trading Ty Lawson, Kenneth Faried, or both. In any case, team president Josh Kroenke made it clear to Kiszla and fellow Post scribe Christopher Dempsey that he intends a strong push to find a star.
“There’s a period of transition that’s coming up, and we’re going to be aggressive … as an organization,” Kroenke said. “And continue to be aggressive until we feel we have the roster that truly can compete for something special.”
Kroenke judges by the volume of trade inquiries that he’s received from other teams, which include two calls since the season ended, that the players on Denver’s roster have plenty of value, Dempsey notes. There’s more on the Nuggets amid the latest from the Northwest Division:
- The Timberwolves are tentatively planning a predraft workout with two-guards Rashad Vaughn from UNLV, J.P. Tokoto from North Carolina and Michael Frazier from Florida next month, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter links).
- The prospect of a Nicolas Batum trade seemed far-fetched last summer, but now it’s a realistic possibility, as The Oregonian’s Joe Freeman writes in a roundtable piece with other Blazers beat writers. Freeman would nonetheless bet on Batum staying in Portland and having a bounceback season in 2015/16, the last on his contract.
- Thunder GM Sam Presti wants to re-sign Enes Kanter and Kyle Singler, and that has to do with the team’s cap situation as much as the talent and production of the pair of soon-to-be restricted free agents, The Oklahoman’s Darnell Mayberry posits. Let them go, and the Thunder wouldn’t have the cap flexibility to replace them, Mayberry points out.
- Kroenke pointed to a lack of communication as the most unexpected shortcoming of Brian Shaw‘s tenure as Nuggets coach, as Dempsey writes in a separate piece.
Mitch Kupchak On Kobe, Draft, Trades
Kobe Bryant has signaled to Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak that the 2015/16 season will be his last as an NBA player, as the GM relayed Thursday in a radio appearance with Rick Fox and Jared Greenberg on SiriusXM NBA Radio (audio links), and as Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com passes along. Bryant hasn’t ruled out playing beyond next season, Holmes notes, and said in March that he would probably hold off on a decision until after the 2015/16 campaign is through. Still, if there’s a free agent who would hesitate to sign with the Lakers because he’s worried about the presence of Bryant for one or more seasons, that free agent “should go someplace else,” Kupchak said. The GM said on the radio with ESPN’s Colin Cowherd (audio link) that it “looks as though” the Lakers will keep the No. 2 overall pick, but he also made it clear that it’s not a foregone conclusion, as Holmes writes in a separate piece. Kupchak had much more to say in his radio spots, as Holmes transcribes. Both pieces are worth a read for Lakers diehards, but we’ll hit the highlights here:
On Kobe Bryant:
“He’s on the last year of a deal. There have been no discussions about anything going forward. I don’t think there will be. He’s indicated to me that this is it. A year from now, if there’s something different to be discussed, then it will be discussed then. I talk to him from time to time … and he is recovering. He’s running. He’s getting movement and strength in the shoulder. We expect a full recovery, but yeah, he’s much closer to the end than to the beginning.”
On the strength of this year’s draft class:
“I do think that there are four or five players that are very, very good, and when you look back on [the draft] 10 years from now, I think they could all be All-Stars. But I don’t think there’s anybody that next year will lead a team to champagne in June. If that does happen, particularly with us, then we’ll have to get lucky in the offseason, particularly with free agency. Kobe is going to have to come back and be very healthy, which I understand he’s on track for. But I don’t think right now that there’s anybody who can make that kind of difference right away.”
On whether perimeter players have become more important than big men:
“You could argue that. The jury is still out, but you could argue that, and there’s no doubt that the game that’s being played today is very different from the game that was played eight to 10 years ago. It’s the three-point shots, the drive-and-kick [style]. Now, the teams that have had great success still have centers. San Antonio, they’ve done pretty well with a center there. Memphis has a great center. Although they didn’t advance this year, they have an excellent team. Golden State, they don’t use their center to score points, but they still have a 7-foot, 7-foot-1 guy. So you still need size in this league. You need a rim protector. A guy that takes space. A guy to pass the ball to run the offense through.”
On the value of moving up to the No. 2 pick in the lottery:
“Let’s just say there was a team that had the fifth or sixth or seventh pick, and they wanted to go to No. 2. In that area of the draft, just to move up two or three or four slots, normally, it’s hard to do. And the price that that team would pay would be high, because they’ve targeted a player that they really want. Obviously the other team would know that, and they would have to pay for that.”
Central Notes: Blatt, Hezonja, Bucks, Pacers
Part of the heat that’s surrounded Cavs coach David Blatt this year is media-driven, argues Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. His brusque manner with reporters has fueled a perhaps unprecedented level of criticism, Amico writes, but owner Dan Gilbert is in his corner one year after making the surprising hire. While we wait to see if Blatt can lead the Cavs to a 2-0 series lead on the Hawks tonight, here’s more from around the Central Division:
- Mario Hezonja makes sense for the Pistons at draft pick No. 8, and while he’s a streaky shooter who has a prickly demeanor with teammates, he doesn’t carry nearly the same risk as Darko Milicic did when the Pistons blew the No. 2 pick on him in 2003, writes Terry Foster of The Detroit News.
- Bucks GM John Hammond wants the team to build “organically” with a long-term approach and said Milwaukee will target size and shooting in the draft this year, as The Associated Press relays. “We’re still very much an unfinished product,” Hammond said. “We need to continue to add toughness and energy to our team, so we have multiple needs.”
- The Pacers on Tuesday will work out draft prospects Delon Wright, Marcus Thornton, Pat Connaughton, Jabril Trawick, Greg Whittington and Jonathan Holmes, the team announced. Thornton, a point guard from William & Mary, is not to be confused with the forward from Georgia by the same name who worked out for the Sixers, and of course he isn’t the six-year NBA veteran shooting guard who also goes by that name.
Offseason Outlook: Memphis Grizzlies
Guaranteed Contracts
- Zach Randolph ($9,638,555)
- Mike Conley ($9,388,426)
- Courtney Lee ($5,675,000)
- Tony Allen ($5,168,539)
- Vince Carter ($4,088,019)
- Jordan Adams ($1,404,600)
- Jarnell Stokes ($845,059)
- (Fab Melo $437,080)1
- (Jamaal Franklin $163,297)2
Non-Guaranteed Contracts
- Beno Udrih ($2,170,465)3
- Jon Leuer ($1,035,000)
- JaMychal Green ($845,059)4
- Russ Smith ($845,059)5
Options
- Jeff Green ($9,200,000 — Player)6
Restricted Free Agents/Cap Holds
- Nick Calathes ($1,147,276) — $1,147,276 qualifying offer7
Unrestricted Free Agents/Cap Holds
- Marc Gasol ($18,960,000)8
- (Steven Hunter $7,022,400)9
- Kosta Koufos ($5,700,000)9
- No. 25 pick ($1,025,700)9
- (Gilbert Arenas $947,276)9
- (Keyon Dooling $947,276)9
- (Leon Powe $947,276)9
- (Marcus Williams $947,276)9
Draft Picks
- 1st Round (25th overall)
Cap Outlook
- Guaranteed Salary: $37,881,575
- Non-Guaranteed Salary: $3,822,583
- Options: $9,200,000
- Cap Holds: $37,644,480
- Total: $88,548,638
Five straight years, the Grizzlies have taken their core of Tony Allen, Mike Conley, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph to the playoffs, and five straight years, they’ve failed to break through to the Finals, much less win a title. A loss to the 67-win Warriors in this year’s playoffs wasn’t at all unexpected, but it was nonetheless tough to take after Memphis broke out to a 2-1 series lead. It’s worth wondering if this team, as constructed, can ever reach the pinnacle. The Grizzlies appear prepared to give it another try, to foist a maximum-salary contract on the 30-year-old Gasol with the faith that his improvement this season wasn’t the last step forward he’ll take as a player before he begins an inevitable age-induced series of steps back. Gasol, whose heart is in Memphis but who wants to win, has to decide this summer if he, too, believes that it’s possible with this Grizzlies team.
The former Defensive Player of the Year has given precious few hints about the path he’ll choose, but signals from elsewhere suggest Gasol’s favored path leads right back where he’s been. The Spurs worry Memphis the most among Gasol’s many fans among NBA front offices, but they’re poised to pursue LaMarcus Aldridge, seen as more obtainable, before they go after Gasol, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com recently reported. The Knicks became pessimistic early in the season about their chances to land Gasol, as Marc Berman of the New York Post heard then, and more recently Beno Udrih, whom the Grizzlies claimed off waivers from the Knicks last year, said he doesn’t think the Knicks have a chance. Indeed, most of Gasol’s teammates think he’ll be back, according to Michael Wallace of ESPN.com, and GM Chris Wallace does, too, as he told WHBQ-AM.
If somehow they turn out to be wrong, it would be a mighty blow to the franchise but not necessarily a devastating one. Memphis would likely be able to clear enough cap room for a max offer to at least the marquee free agents eligible for the 30% max, if not those in line for 35% or more. The Grizzlies could pitch Aldridge on the idea of having a team where he’d be an unquestioned lead dog. They could point to Gasol’s offensive strides and tell DeAndre Jordan that he can make the same sort of improvements under coach Dave Joerger and his staff. They could rectify perhaps the franchise’s most egregious mistake, trading Kevin Love on draft night in 2008, and tell him, if he opts out this summer, that he can compete for titles in Memphis just as he could in Cleveland but without the pressure of “fit in or fit out” admonitions from LeBron James.
Still, it appears the most likely scenario involves the Grizzlies luring none other than their own star to sign a 30% max deal, probably for the full five seasons. Unless Gasol engineers a short-term deal, Memphis would luck out and avoid him catching the first wave of the rising salary cap when it rolls in next season. The Grizzlies as it is are without any eight-figure salaries on the books for next season, and while a max deal for Gasol and an opt-in from Jeff Green would keep Memphis from opening cap room this summer, the team would be primed to go into the summer of 2016 with plenty of flexibility. That’s when Conley comes up for a new deal to replace the bargain contract that’s allowed the Grizzlies to make other moves to stay on the fringes of the title picture the past few seasons. Re-signing Conley would take the higher max that Gasol appears to be missing out on, and while whatever deal Gasol might sign this summer wouldn’t look like quite as much of a bargain come 2016/17 as Conley has been, the Grizzlies would benefit nonetheless.
For now, Memphis is waiting on Gasol and Green. It appears the thinking for now is that Green will opt in, as Stein wrote, but that’s far from certain. If Green opts out and Gasol re-signs, Memphis could open roughly $7MM in cap space, based on the projected $67.1MM cap and an estimated $19MM max for Gasol. That would involve stripping away a host of supporting characters, including Kosta Koufos, and unloading the 25th overall pick or using it on a draft-and-stash prospect. There would be ways for the Grizzlies to use that space to shore up some of their deficiencies. DeMarre Carroll would fit right in defensively and give the team a legitimate three-point threat. The same could be said of Danny Green, while Arron Afflalo, should he opt out of his deal with the Blazers, is a proven scorer who could add another dimension to the Grizzlies offense. Still, it would take a lot of contingencies to break in the right direction for any of them to end up in Memphis.
It seems more likely that Memphis stays above the cap and has the $5.464MM mid-level as its primary financial tool for an upgrade. Koufos has expressed a desire for more playing time, making him a threat to bolt, so the Grizzlies may well find themselves debating the merits of an upgrade on the wing or at backup center. The team’s level of faith that Jordan Adams, last year’s first-round pick, can make a contribution next season would play into that. Memphis knows what it has in Jon Leuer, who’s been on the fringe of the rotation the past two seasons, so that might be comfort enough for the club to go after the likes of Marco Belinelli, Mike Dunleavy, or Jared Dudley with the mid-level. The Grizzlies could probably split the mid-level and still come away with Gerald Green, Rodney Stuckey, Luke Babbitt or Wesley Johnson, though each of them comes with the risk of being just another wing player who doesn’t give Memphis enough of what it needs.
Indeed, these Grizzlies have always lacked a dynamic threat on the wing who can both attack the basket and shoot from the outside while playing capable defense. Such talents aren’t easy to find for a team without eight-figure cap flexibility, but the test for Wallace is to find one on the cheap, develop one from within or, as he and former CEO Jason Levien have tried to do since the Rudy Gay trade, cobble together the right mix of flawed but talented role players. That’s not easy, but Wallace would surely be glad to attack that deficiency rather than worry about how to replace his star center.
The emergence of the Grizzlies as one of the league’s most respected defensive forces over the past several years mirrored Gasol’s development into the same, and that’s no coincidence. This summer will go a long way toward determining whether that’s as far as they both can go, or if there’s another growth spurt left for both sides.
Cap Footnotes
1 — The Grizzlies waived Melo in August 2013 and used the stretch provision to spread his remaining guaranteed salary over the next three seasons.
2 — The Grizzlies waived Franklin in August 2014 and used the stretch provision to spread his remaining guaranteed salary over the next five seasons.
3 — Udrih’s salary is partially guaranteed for $923,000.
4 — Green’s salary is partially guaranteed for $150,000.
5 — Smith’s salary becomes partially guaranteed for $150K if he remains under contract through July 15th and fully guaranteed if he remains under contract through July 25th.
6 — The cap hold for Green would be $13,800,000 if he opts out.
7 — The cap hold for Calathes would be $947,276 if the Grizzlies elect not to tender a qualifying offer.
8 — The cap hold for Gasol will be the lesser of $23,744,532 and the NBA’s maximum salary for a player with his seven years of experience. That maximum will almost certainly be less than $23,744,532, so the number listed above is an estimate of the max.
9 — See our glossary entry on cap holds for an explanation why these players technically remain on the books.
The Basketball Insiders Salary Pages were used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Southwest Notes: Gentry, Gasol, Mavs
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr confirmed Thursday that lead assistant Alvin Gentry has interviewed for the Pelicans head coaching job, as Kerr told reporters, including Antonio Gonzalez of The Associated Press. Kerr said he’s OK with Gentry taking time to interview on off days, Gonzalez notes, and a source close to Gentry told John Reid of The Times-Picayune that it appears as though Gentry will again interview with New Orleans after Golden State’s season is over. Here’s more from around the Southwest Division:
- Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger feels as though Marc Gasol has essentially already made up his mind about what he’ll do in free agency, but he’ll head to Spain sometime soon to pitch the All-NBA First Team center on re-signing with the Grizzlies, notes Geoff Calkins of The Commercial Appeal in a subscription-only piece. The Grizzlies don’t seem too nervous, but Gasol isn’t giving any promises, and his departure would be a devastating blow to the franchise, Calkins argues.
- Count GM Chris Wallace among those in the Grizzlies organization with confidence in Gasol’s return. “I firmly believe we will re-sign Marc Gasol this summer,” Wallace said on WHBQ-AM radio, according to host Peter Edmiston (Twitter link).
- Unless the Mavericks can lure Gasol or DeAndre Jordan to Dallas this summer, they should prioritize re-signing Tyson Chandler, as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News believes.
- A panel of ESPN.com writers, in an Insider-only piece, agree that the Pelicans coaching job is more attractive than a would-be opening for the Bulls and that New Orleans should look to re-sign Omer Asik this summer.
Western Notes: Jordan, Lakers, Nuggets
Now that the Clippers have been eliminated from the playoffs, the team needs to look toward the offseason and find a way to improve despite the franchise’s challenging salary cap situation, Fran Blinebury of NBA.com writes. According to coach/executive Doc Rivers, Los Angeles’ first order of business this summer will be re-signing center DeAndre Jordan, Blinebury notes. “Our first priority is D.J.,” Rivers said. “That’s obvious. I don’t know how much I can say there. Can you tamper with your own guy? If that’s true I’m going to go tamper right now.” The Clippers will have competition for the unrestricted free agent’s services, and Jordan has already expressed through back channels that he’ll be “extremely interested” in signing with the Mavs this summer.
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- The Nuggets are taking their time looking for a new head coach, and a decision isn’t expected for another couple weeks, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post writes. “It’s exactly how we thought it would go,” team president Josh Kroenke said. “We’ve had several conversations with a lot of people. I think that it benefits us to talk to as many people as we can. We have some people in the back of our mind that we think would be great fits. I’ve talked to enough people, and going through the process before, your coaching hire is probably going to be your hardest hire because there’s so much that goes into that role in today’s sporting industry.”
- Kroenke also relayed that the Nuggets aren’t concerned about the length of time the coaching search has taken thus far, Dempsey adds. “It’s beneficial for us on some level to be patient,” Kroenke said. “I think more candidates have opened up since the end of the season. Based on different organizations wanting to go different directions with different guys, I think there was never a time when we wanted to rush into anything. Until you have that guy that you know is the one that you want, I think it really benefits you to talk to as many people as you can. Because also during the course of these interviews you’re getting to pick some of the best basketball minds that are out there. That’s an incredible benefit to the process.“
- The Lakers aren’t 100% set on drafting either Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor, and the team is intrigued by D’Angelo Russell and Emmanuel Mudiay, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com tweets.
Central Notes: Smith, Kaun, Bucks
Prior to the trade that brought J.R. Smith to Cleveland, Cavs GM David Griffin consulted with LeBron James, who immediately gave his approval of the deal, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com writes. “I knew the man he was and I didn’t really care about what everybody else thought of him,” James said. “Our front office, they have the last say. … I was definitely all for it.” The franchise’s faith in Smith is paying off during the playoffs, with Smith torching the Hawks Wednesday night for 28 points off of the bench. “He’s been great for us, and he’s been a great teammate, and he’s been a great guy to coach,” coach David Blatt said. “And no question, he’s one of the reasons, one of the main reasons, we’re here.”
Here’s more out of the NBA’s Central Division:
- Center Sasha Kaun, whose draft rights are held by the Cavaliers, will likely leave CSKA Moscow at the end of the Russian League’s season, Chema de Lucas of Gigantes.com reports (translation by Enea Trapani of Sportando). Kaun is averaging 9.9 points and 4.5 rebounds in 19.0 minutes per game this season.
- Bucks GM John Hammond acknowledges it will be a difficult task to improve upon the team’s surprising 2014/15 campaign, Charles Gardner of The Journal Sentinel writes. “The key is to become a 50-win team, be a home-court playoff team, start to compete for a championship and be able to do that year in and year out for years to come,” Hammond said. “The next step is to go from good to great. That’s where the real work comes in. You need some breaks along the way. You need some guys to continue to develop. The culture needs to stay right.“
- There is a consensus around the league as to who the top four players in the NBA Draft are, but the rest of the draft order is still up in the air, David Mayo of MLive notes. “I don’t think there’s a set order from that group on,” Pistons GM Jeff Bower said. “I think that next group of players is really a group that will have varied opinions and varied orders, and the teams and the evaluations will kind of determine a lot of things.”
- The Pistons are expected to target a forward this June, notes Mayo. “I think there’s a lot of depth at positions in this draft that fit targets that we would have to fill this summer,” Bower said. “And again, whether it’s in the draft or free agency, we will plan to address them. As we look at this class and this draft, there are a lot of players that do have that projection of being at that position.“
Eastern Notes: Hornets, Noel, Heat
Nerlens Noel is the current face of the Sixers, but he isn’t worried about being traded the way Michael Carter-Williams, the last potential franchise cornerstone, was, Mike Sielski of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “No, no, no – that’s not on my mind at all,” Noel said. “I’m focused on helping build this team on the right path, building with the right coach, and bringing in young guys so we can really make a wave. I have a lot of confidence in Sam [Hinkie]. He hasn’t failed us so far. Joel‘s [Embiid] healthy and looking great – great. He’s moving well. I feel good. I’m healthy. We’re moving forward, and things are in place. I feel good about everything.”
Here’s more out of the Eastern Conference:
- If the Hornets can’t redeem the No. 9 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft for an impact player who can score, the franchise needs to trade away assets for draft picks and become worse so they can become better in the long run, opines Tom Sorensen of The Charlotte Observer.
- The Heat owe a total of six draft picks (three first-round picks and three second-round picks) over the next seven years as the result of previous trades, with none due from other teams, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel points out. This makes it absolutely vital for Miami to select an impact player with the No. 10 overall pick in this year’s draft, Winderman adds.
- One of the factors involved in the recent shakeup of the Raptors‘ coaching staff was the slow growth curve of former No. 5 overall pick Jonas Valanciunas, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com writes.
- Many scouts and executives believe that the depth in the 2015 NBA Draft is between the mid-first round and late first round, right where the Bulls are slated to pick at No. 22 overall, Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com writes.