Bulls Re-Sign PG Hunter, And It Means More Than You Think

The Chicago Bulls have just re-signed veteran PG Lindsey Hunter to a one-year deal worth the veteran's minimum of roughly $1.3 million. Hunter, 38, didn't see a lot of minutes last season (9.5 minutes per game), and he doesn't figure to see many this season either. The Bulls like Hunter's presence as a mentor for Derrick Rose, and they like the leadership he provides in the locker room.So we'll give the guy the bare minimum to essentially act as a coach and occasionally play a few minutes. Doesn't seem like a big deal, does it? Well, it is a big deal if you happen to be Linton Johnson, Anthony Roberson, DeMarcus Nelson, or Aaron Gray. The reason these players will find importance in this seemingly insignificant move is simple: it means they will have to be released.Sure, the Bulls could keep these guys, but, as Mark Deeks of Bulls Confidential points out, the Hunter deal puts the salary situation at $73 million and some change, which is above the luxury tax level of $69.92 million. Johnson, Roberson, and Nelson have non-guaranteed contracts, and they played bit roles last season, so, if the Bulls want to avoid the luxury tax (and the stingy Bulls definitely do), then the best way to do so without damaging the team too much would be to let the trio go. However, that would not put us completely below the luxury tax level.The Bulls made a qualifying offer for Gray, who is a restriced free agent, and, even if they rescinded the offer and brought him back for the league minimum, he would still put us a bit over the luxury tax. We have Joakim Noah and Brad Miller to man paint at center, and the Bulls have a plethora of power forwards that could be used in small-ball lineups if those two were injured, so losing Gray would not be a big deal.It's amazing to me that a veteran's minimum can spell doom for four players, but that seems to be the case for the Lindsey Hunter deal. Not that any of the players really mattered much to this team, but the Bulls would only have 13 players under contract if the 4 aforementioned players left, including Jerome James, who hasn't played in a long time. That's a pretty thin roster, but the Bulls seem to value Hunter's leadership more highly than a few bit-part players filling out the last seats on the bench.