Bulls Unloading John Salmons to Milwaukee

The trade dominoes continue to fall, as teams set themselves up for this upcoming summer’s free agent madness: “In a move with major ramifications for their ability to sign someone from the most heralded free agent class in NBA history, the Bulls have agreed in principle to trade John Salmons and his potential gum-on-the-shoe player option to the Bucks for expiring contracts. The Bucks will send either Hakim Warrick and Joe Alexander or Kurt Thomas and Francisco Elson. Like Salmons, the Bucks held Warrick out of Wednesday’s game. Not even Salmons knew his destination when reached earlier Wednesday, when the Tribune first reported the Bulls had asked him not to ride the team bus to Madison Square Garden. ‘It’s crazy,’ Salmons said. ‘They told me to stay at the team hotel and I’ll know in the morning where I’m going.’ Shedding the $5.8 million player option that Salmons may or may not exercise for next season guarantees the Bulls will have enough salary-cap space to offer a maximum contract this summer. The Bulls could be roughly $20 million below the salary cap, depending on new NBA revenue figure.”