Bosh to Bobcats for #4 pick? (per Gary Washburn)

[Eddie20]

The Charlotte Bobcats are looking to make a splash this summer and are open to trading their first-round pick in a package for an All-Star-caliber player. There are rumors the Heat will be looking to deal Chris Bosh, and the Bobcats, who are under the salary cap and could accept Bosh's near-maximum deal, could be a prime candidate.

[RebusRankin]

How can you trade a lock hall of famer like Bosh? 

[Kane3387]

Would be shocked if this happens.

[Who]

The East would be wide open if Miami did that.

I can't see Pat Riley tearing his team apart like this and risking LeBron leaving in a year's time. He would need more of a sure thing (and ready to contribute rookie) to trade Wade/Bosh for a draft pick.

[hpantazo]

For #1 or 2 I could believe, but for #4? I don't think so. Who would they be targeting with the 4th pick?

[Eddie20]

I could definitely see this happening. The luxury tax will penalties will be hitting some teams hard and maybe none as hard as Miami, since unlike the Lakers, they don't have that lofty TV deal. I've read some estimates having the Heat to shell out approximately 140M in salary next season when the taxes are factored in. This will only rise as repeat offenders if the team remains intact after next season. 

[PhoSita]

Makes no sense.  There's plenty of evidence that Bosh is not a franchise player.  He had a hard time even getting the Raptors into the playoffs.

[hpantazo]

Makes no sense.  There's plenty of evidence that Bosh is not a franchise player.  He had a hard time even getting the Raptors into the playoffs.

For the Bobcats it makes perfect sense. Bosh is much, much better than anyone they could get with the 4th pick. Franchise player or not, he would be automatically their best player, and still young. Pair him with Biyombo, Kidd-Gilchrist, and Kemba Walker, and you already have a better team than the Raptors did with Bosh.

[Eddie20]

http://espn.go.com/nba/truehoop/miamiheat/story/_/id/9191386/pat-riley-believes-keeping-miami-heat-big-three-together-doable-tax-penalties

The lingering questions about the Heat's future have been focused far beyond this season. In particular, whether Riley can keep this team together when the luxury tax penalties become much stiffer starting in 2013-14.

"It's doable in this tax economy, but I'll leave that up to [Heat owner] Micky [Arison]," Riley said with a laugh. "That will all be tackled after the season, but it is doable."

In other words, the ball is in Arison's hands. Just like the Heat president planned ahead years in advance of the summer of 2010, Riley said he has already had internal conversations with Heat brass about how to financially keep the star-studded core intact when LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh can all opt out of their contracts after the 2013-14 season.

But the financial burden will begin starting in 2013-14 when taxpaying teams will have to pay $1.50 for every dollar they're over the luxury tax line. And it gets considerably more punitive in 2014-15 when the repeater penalties hit and the tax rate increases the deeper a team is into the tax.

Additionally, taxpaying teams will have more stringent roster management restrictions, including the inability to acquire players via sign-and-trades.

Keeping James, Wade and Bosh together long term is doable, but Riley indicated it would help if the Heat could find more cash to help the cause, pointing to the Los Angeles Dodgers, a team that is partly owned by one of Riley's former players, Magic Johnson. In January, the Dodgers signed a television deal with Time Warner Cable worth a reported $7 billion.

"It's going to take that kind of revenue and those kinds of opportunities to be able to [keep the core together]," Riley said. "It is doable, but it's a question of the economics of the game. There's going to have to be some strategic planning not only from [the business] standpoint, but also personnel-wise over the next couple of years to deal with [the potential tax penalties]."

But Riley admitted the economics of the game will make it much tougher to assemble a dynasty.

"I would love to see all of [the current Heat players] end their careers together here at the same time and hang their numbers, all of the players become the godfathers to each other's children and have one big, happy barbecue in the backyard somewhere. I would love to see that," Riley said. "But I don't know if that's reality in today's game."

When asked a follow-up question about the Heat's ability to retain Miami's Big Three, Riley maintained it isn't his call.

"Again, I'm going to defer that question to Micky because it's going to be a big decision," Riley said. "It is something that's going to take some thought.

"We don't, as an organization, really agree with all the aspects of the collective bargaining agreement. But [Arison)] was, I think, a proponent of it even though he knew it was going to hurt his team at the time because he was trying to do something that was good for everybody. He wasn't always fighting for what was going to be best for him. He did what he thought was right for the league."

That might be a little bit of revisionist history on Riley's part. Arison voted against ratifying the NBA's new CBA in 2010, along with four other owners, citing the revenue-sharing structure that would require the Heat to pay larger-market teams to do business. The Heat only rank middle of the pack in terms of TV market size.

[hpantazo]

all the more reason to hope the Spurs win it this year and keep the cHeat's title count at 1 until that team is broken up.

[banty19]

Scary thought: Heat give away Bosh for the #4 pick, who comes at a cheap salary. They then use that cap space to get Dwight, CP3, etc. Looking at their salaries, they have a bunch of guys under contract for next year, but if they could pawn off some in the Bosh trade and some in a sign and trade, it could be possible. Something like:

1) Chris Bosh and Mike Miller for the #4 Pick (not sure if Bobcats have enough space to take both)

2) Mario Chalmers ($4M), Norris Cole ($1.2M), filler, and picks for CP3

3) One or more players decline player options

Won't spend the time trying to make all the numbers work but I think it's at least possible. I also don't see why the Clippers would want a Miami pu pu platter but if CP3 forced his way out, it might be better than the alternatives.

[Eddie20]

Scary thought: Heat give away Bosh for the #4 pick, who comes at a cheap salary. They then use that cap space to get Dwight, CP3, etc. Looking at their salaries, they have a bunch of guys under contract for next year, but if they could pawn off some in the Bosh trade and some in a sign and trade, it could be possible. Something like:

1) Chris Bosh and Mike Miller for the #4 Pick (not sure if Bobcats have enough space to take both)

2) Mario Chalmers ($4M), Norris Cole ($1.2M), filler, and picks for CP3

3) One or more players decline player options

Won't spend the time trying to make all the numbers work but I think it's at least possible. I also don't see why the Clippers would want a Miami pu pu platter but if CP3 forced his way out, it might be better than the alternatives.

No, it actually wouldn't work.

[Eja117]

I suppose the Bobcats could do a sign and trade with Josh McRoberts and send him too or maybe something with Byron Mullens

[CelticConcourse]

4th pick for HOFer?

[gpap]

It be nice to see the Celts get a good player for a change and land Bosh