Carlos Boozer's fate has been sealed. After dangling the forward in trade talks for months, the Chicago Bulls are choosing to use their amnesty clause to get rid of the veteran. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, the Chicago Bulls have informed Boozer that he would be amnestied and on his way out. Now on the open market, where does the forward land?
The Bulls decision was based purely on financial reasons. Getting rid of Boozer means clearing his $16.8 million off the salary cap. He still gets paid, but does not count towards the Bulls' books. Now under the NBA system, teams can acquire Boozer for just $1.4 million. If no team makes a bid on him, Boozer becomes a free agent and can sign for any amount. The forward can still put up quality minutes for any team after averaging 13.7 points and 8.7 rebounds this past season. He might not be a starter any more, but he can be productive.
According to ESPN, Boozer wants to sign with Miami. The team has been looking for resident big men after the departure of LeBron James. They missed out on Pau Gasol to the move seems to fit. However, the Heat likely cannot afford to take on Boozer at any dollar amount right now. The team officially got Dwyane Wade under contract at two years and $42 million. They also signed Udonis Haslem to a deal worth $5.6 million. All that is left is to get Shabazz Napier and James Ennis under contract which should max the Heat out.
Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel is not ruling out Boozer to the Heat, but simply saying it is unlikely. The team has made several moves in free agency, bringing on Luol Deng, re-signing Chris Bosh, Mario Chalmers and Wade. They also have Chris Andersen back under contract. The need for Boozer is not really there, but the Heat could make a move for cheap.
Wojnarowski reports that the Atlanta Hawks are a favorite to land Boozer in a bid. The team has missed out on several free agents and could use Boozer for needed depth. With Al Horford returning from several injuries, getting Boozer under the rim would certainly help. The team made a small run in the Eastern Conference last season and looking to do even more in 2014. Boozer would help.
