Chicago Bulls Rumors: Team Wants To Sign Chris Bosh
Chicago Bulls rumors now link the team to Chris Bosh, adding an interesting wrinkle to news about the team. Even as the NBA trade deadline approaches, it appears that the Bulls are showing interest in signing Bosh during the coming offseason. A new report by ESPN.com presents this scenario, with the Bulls keeping close tabs on Bosh since he left the Miami Heat.
There are some important components of this situation to consider, including the fact that nobody in the NBA even knows if Chris Bosh will ever play basketball again. Bosh is still dealing with health issues that limited his time with the Miami Heat and will ultimately lead to him getting waived later this season. That would be just the first hurdle in an attempt by the Chicago Bulls to land the All-Star forward. Could a reunion of sorts take place during the 2017-18 NBA season?
Another roadblock within these Bulls rumors is that the team would likely receive competition when trying to sign Bosh. What would make the Bulls a likely destination would be if the team still has Jimmy Butler, Rajon Rondo, and Dwyane Wade on the active roster. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, though, the Bulls could be looking at a rebuilding effort as the NBA trade deadline approaches. Losing Wade would detract a prime incentive for Bosh to consider signing with Chicago.
Chris Bosh played six seasons with Dwyane Wade on the Miami Heat, signing as a free agent before the 2010-11 NBA season in tandem with LeBron James. He helped Miami make it to four consecutive NBA Finals and remained with the team even after James went back to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Over the past two seasons, though, Bosh has been dealing with a health issue that creates blood clots. Differing stories have come out about his health prognosis and whether he will even play in the NBA again, but what is clear is that he hasn’t played in the 2016-17 NBA season.
What will make these Chicago Bulls rumors continually intriguing is that Chris Bosh is still under contract with the Miami Heat. He signed a long-term extension that will pay him about $23.8 million this season, followed by about $25.3 million and about $26.9 million over the next two NBA seasons. He is going to be a very wealthy man even if his health dictates that it is just about time to walk away from the game. The Bulls could work on a buyout for the remainder of the deal or simply hope that insurance covers his inability to step on a basketball court.
A report by USA Today addressed the contract situation between Bosh and the Heat, explaining that insurance covers the team if he misses 41 games (half the season). The insurance company then reimburses the Heat 80 percent of what Bosh is owed, up to a maximum of $175,000 per game. The Heat would still be on the hook for the remaining amount and Bosh continues to get his full salary. The exact parameters of how that will work were explained in-depth by NBA analyst Jeff Zillgitt.
“The Heat could waive Bosh on Feb. 9, one year from his last game, and then apply to have his salary removed because of a career-ending injury. An independent doctor designated by the NBA and National Basketball Players Association would determine if Bosh’s situation is career-ending. If the doctor determined it was career-ending, Bosh’s salary would be cleared from Miami’s cap number, and Bosh would never be able to play for the Heat again. If that happened but Bosh was later cleared to return by another team, his salary would go back on Miami’s cap.”
The Miami Heat are expected to waive Chris Bosh following a March 1 deadline set by the NBA for players to be on new teams. After that date, Bosh is ineligible to play in the postseason, meaning he cannot join another roster for the 2017 NBA Playoffs. If all this takes place, Bosh would become a free agent during the 2017 NBA offseason, making it possible for these latest Chicago Bulls rumors to start playing out in real time.
[Featured Image by Jason Miller/Getty Images]
