John Salmons Traded For Joe Alexander & Hakim Warrick
Moving Day
The Chicago Bulls have traded guard John Salmons within their own division to the Milwaukee Bucks for forwards Joe Alexander and Hakim Warrick.
Warrick has played in 48 games for Milwaukee this season, averaging 10.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Alexander, whom the Bucks took with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2008 draft, has struggled to make the jump to the NBA and currently is playing for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA Development League.
The Bulls have been they’re trying to clear as much cap space as possible and where scared that Salmons would not opt out of his player option next season that stands at $5.8 million. The move brings the Bulls salary commitments next season for just under $32 million. As the contracts of Warrick and Alexander both expire at the end of the season, potentially freeing up space for the Bulls to bid for marquee free agents in the offseason.
For the Bucks, it’s a no-lose. After Michael Redd went down, they needed a 2/3 that could score, and Salmons will probably help in that department. If he opts out, great, more cap-space. If not, he’s a movable expiring they can use to build on what they do this summer.
Another thing to consider is that the Bulls are currently in the eighth spot, but they just traded an offensive weapon to the team in the 9th spot that could knock them out of the playoffs.
Bulls: Losers/Bucks Winners
Milwaukee Bucks Joe Alexander Wants To Be Traded
Fraud
Could a new city and team be what the former 2008 No. 8 overall draft pick Joe Alexander needs to jump start his career or could the former West Virginia standout be a player that could never play on highest level in the first place? I’m going with the latter and I consider myself an Alexander fan.
The Milwaukee Bucks decided two weeks ago not to pick up his third year option on his rookie contract, and that has lead Alexander to say he wants to be traded. Alexander’s 2010-11 option for $2.76 million was not picked up by the Nov. 2 deadline, making him an unrestricted free agent next summer.
It has lead Alexander to say if they don’t want him than they should trade him. But in fairness to the Bucks decision Alexander is hardly healthy and when so he isn’t making himself into a force during practice that he should command playing time.
The Bucks and I had high hopes for the 6-foot-8 Alexander when they selected him and they did so ahead of players such , selecting him ahead of players such as Brook Lopez, Jason Thompson, Anthony Randolph, and JaVale McGee. Instead, Alexander became the highest first-round pick ever to have his rookie contract option declined after his first season.
Such high demands for a player that hasn’t given anything back.
