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Ask Sam Mailbag: 02.02.18

Los Angeles Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar speaks after unveiling a statue of himself at Staples Center on November 16, 2012 in Los Angeles, California.

Everyone's making a big deal about Tom Brady doing big things at 40. Wasn't Kareem pretty doggone productive at 40? I think his skyhook is still unstoppable at whatever advanced age he may be today. Tony Reed

Jameer Nelson #14 of the New Orleans Pelicans shoots the ball against the Chicago Bulls on January 22, 2018

It looks like a pretty good deal for the Bulls. The Top 5 restriction on the draft choice is very unlikely to apply. The contracts of the two senior citizens expire at the end of the season (if not before.) Nelson can still play somewhat and the Bulls, to put it charitably, are not deep at point guard. David Thompson

What do you think the next move will be by the Bulls? It does appear that we wanted to deal early so that we have another week to try and deal again. The Boogie injury was perfect timing for us to find that suitor in the Pels. I'm reading that we want to waive tony Allen though which puzzles me. Old but still a great defender. I'm sure the Cavs wouldn't mind him with other pieces. A couple of nice pieces we have thought to offer teams. Lopez, Allen, Nelson, Holiday, Grant. Not huge game changes but they bulk up a playoff team. Wonder what the jazz are doing?

What do you think is next? Andrew Brown

Nikola Mirotic #44 of the Chicago Bulls shoots the ball during the game against the Toronto Raptors on January 3, 2018 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.

Now that the Mirotic trade is final, where does that leave the Bulls as far as cap space for free Agents this summer ? If the Pelicans make the playoffs, you think the Bulls will sit on the pick until next year or the following year when the pick will be unprotected ? Randall Sanders

Blake Griffin #23 of the Detroit Pistons looks to pass the ball during the fourth quarter of the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Little Caesars Arena on February 1, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan.

I assume part of why the Pistons wanted to acquire Blake Griffin was that he's signed to a long-term contract. Given the Pistons are not the most glamorous free agent destination right now, they get a star player they probably never could have convinced to join them on his own. That said, I wonder if they also saw the relative success that the Pelicans were finally having with Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins and figured they'd take their own shot a building a team around two big men when the rest of the league is going small? If so, the flaw in that line of thinking would seem to be that Davis is better than Griffin and Cousins (while sort of crazy) is/was better than Drummond. Cameron Watkins

Great trade for the Pistons. You tell me the last big free agent who said i will take my talents to Motown? Ben Gordon? Yeah, the only way for them to get a star was to trade for one. Blake if he can stay healthy will feast in the east and flourish alongside Andre. What did they really give up? Harris? Meh. Bradley? Not the same this season. Boban? Haha. 1st round pick? Pistons are about to make a run in the standings so pick wont be high. I understand why the Clips did it, complete overhaul/reboot. Never going to win out West and time to start the rebuild and hopefully get more pieces for Jordan and Lou. No one is taking fat Danillo.Mike Sutera

Justin Holiday #7 of the Chicago Bulls shoots the ball against the Milwaukee Bucks on January 28, 2018 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.

Will there be any takers for Justin Holiday before the trade deadline? He's having his best year although his FG% is only 38% as he tends to take too many bad shots. Most importantly, he's clearly not part of this rebuilding plan as this team's future is with Markkanen, Dunn and LaVine. His presence also may slow down Valentine's development as LaVine's minutes grow. After all, this is a rebuilding year so why keep someone around and give him so much playing time when he will not be useful in the future? Jay Choi

Robin Lopez #42 of the Chicago Bulls battles for the ball against Jose Calderon #81 and Channing Frye #8 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the first half at Quicken Loans Arena on December 21, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio.

If I'm Cleveland how do I not trade for Robin Lopez? The Cavs are in desperate need of big men after they have lost Kevin Love. CLE - Lopez, Payne, Portis.CHI - Shumpert, Frye, Osman, 1st round pick ('18).Tom Plonowski

Zach LaVine #8 of the Chicago Bulls shoots the ball against the Portland Trail Blazers on January 31, 2018 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.

It sure looks like LaVine is forcing up a lot of contested shots. I'm sure part of this is due to the absence of Dunn, but this can't be good for the future of the team who had developed a "team first" attitude prior to his return. With LaVine's ability to drive the middle and open up the court for shooters such as Markkanen, Valentine, and Mirotic, it is disappointing to see the ball stop moving when it gets into his hands. Even when Dunn returns, it will be important for the team to make sure that the ball seeks the open shooter.William Kochneff

Deandre Ayton #13 of the Arizona Wildcats attempts a shot over Isaiah Whaley #5 of the Connecticut Huskies during the first half of the college basketball game at McKale Center on December 21, 2017 in Tucson, Arizona.

If picks are suddenly overvalued, then why not trade them?

If the Bulls trade their pick, assume somewhere between 8-12, what could they get for it? Jeff Lichtenstein

LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers handles the ball during the game against the Golden State Warriors on January 15, 2018 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.

Whose next? Marc Gasol?Bob Ding