The Bulls traded Luol Deng, their All-Star forward who will be a free agent at the end of the season, to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Andrew Bynum, draft picks and salary savings early Tuesday morning.
As expected, the Bulls waived Bynum on Tuesday afternoon, clearing his $12.3 million salary off their books. That will enable the Bulls to get below the luxury-tax threshold, which will save the team more than $20 million.
"I had a chance to voice my opinion," Bulls coach TomThibodeau said of his meeting with the front office before the trade was made. "Their job is to make financial decisions, to make player personnel decisions, and things of that nature. My job is to coach the guys that are here. That's the way it works."
Asked if he disagreed with the trade when he talked about it with the front office, Thibodeau said, "We discussed it, and I'll leave it at that."