I was just listening to 670 on the way home, and they were saying that they had talked to KC, and while he hasn't reported it in type yet (who knows why), he has Orlando's asking price for Dwight Howard from the Bulls. If Orlando has it's way, it would go as follows:

Bulls get: Howard, Turkey Glue

Magic get: Noah, Deng, Mirotic rights, Charlotte pick

On one hand i'm thinking if you have the chance to get a star like Howard, do it and worry about the rest later. But on the other hand, that is one hell of an asking price. We lose Deng, who is absolutely essential in a Heat series against LeBron. We lose Noah who, for a while now, has been dubbed the heart and soul of the team (although we replace him with Howard so he's the easiest piece to let go). We lose Mirotic, who is 20 years old, just averaged a record 27ppg in the tournament his team's league just held, and could very well end up being an NBA star. We lose the Charlotte pick, which could end up being a top 5 pick in 2016. And we have to take on Turkey Glue's awful contract and piss poor defense (although he would help with the three ball, which is something we need).

I'm probably going to get slammed for this, but I would turn down that trade. I'm not "falling in love with our players" or anything like that. I just think it's simply too steep a price to pay right now. The Bulls are underdogs against the Miami Heat, but not against the west, and getting past Miami isn't impossible. The Bulls right now could win a championship this year. If they make this trade for Howard, they likely cannot win a championship this year. We saw what happened with the Knicks when they traded every piece they had to get two stars. I don't want that to be the Bulls.

I can live with giving up Noah because Howard plays the same position. I can live with giving up the Charlotte pick because Orlando is going to demand young talent and that's the only thing that qualifies that wont hurt us this season. I would, however, refuse to give up both, and possibly either, Deng and Mirotic.

Luol Deng is an All-Star player this season. He may have lingering issues with his wrist, but he is still hugely important. He rebounds, hits the jumper, finishes around the rim, and is the best defender currently on the team. And Mirotic could be a superstar in this league. The league he plays in is widely accepted as the 2nd strongest on the planet behind the NBA, and he (at least right now) is the best player in that league.

Another issue is the luxury tax. JR can say he'll pay it for a Championship contending team all he wants. But the fact of the matter is that we have a championship contending team right now and KC reported that the Bulls weren't getting any help from Joel Pryzbilla or anybody else because of the luxury tax. I firmly believe that if Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkey Glue came here, along with the contracts of Boozer and Rose, our depth would be a thing of the past. Most or all of Brewer, Hamilton, Korver, Gibson, Asik, and Watson would not be back. JR would not want to pick up the options or match offer sheets that put him in the luxury tax. And the players we get would more or less be the scraps/old guys/d-leaguers that were still available after New York and Miami signed the scraps/old guys/d-leaguers who they wanted. I'm sorry, but I don't want Michael Bibby and Eddy Curry to be the new bench mob.

Dwight Howard is the best center on the planet.

Howard

Boozer

TurkeyGlue

Hamilton

Rose

-

Watson

Brewer

Asik

Gibson

Korver

Butler

Scalabrine

Lucas



Does that lineup get us closer to the Championship during this season? Maybe. Maybe not. How much will having Hedo instead of Deng on LeBron effect us? And will Howard be enough to overcome that?

Say we do win the championship with that lineup. Fast forward two years:

Howard

Boozer

TurkeyGlue

???

Rose

-

Asik

Brewer

six scrubs



Is that lineup better than:



Noah

Boozer

Deng

Hamilton

Rose

-

Mirotic

Gibson

Brewer

Korver

Butler

Watson

Basically what i'm saying is I'm just not sure paying what Orlando is asking for is going to be worth it. Will it really give us such a better chance to win multiple championships? Will it even help that cause at all? Or would it set us back?