Five months ago, John Salmons was a hindrance to a championship. He was part of a Chicago Bulls team that appeared mired in Eastern Conference mediocrity, and the best way to win was to unload him and rebuild for the future. Salmons wasn't an impact player in Chicago anymore — rather, he was an impediment.
Now, Salmons is in Milwaukee. And thanks to a new five-year, $40 million contract that he signed two weeks ago, he's a big part of the Bucks' plans going forward.
It must be nice to feel wanted.
Salmons was originally a hot commodity in Chicago. The Bulls picked him up at the trade deadline in 2009, making a six-player deal with the Sacramento Kings to add Salmons and Brad Miller, two more pieces for the stretch run. The move worked — the Bulls went from 23-30 at the time to a late-season turnaround and a No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
A year later, the Bulls decided they were no longer content to be a playoff also-ran, so they started making big moves for the future. In the hopes of clearing out cap space for LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, the Bulls' front office began stockpiling expiring contracts at the expense of big-time talent. Tyrus Thomas? Gone, to Charlotte. Kirk Hinrich? Eventually gone to the Wizards in June. Salmons? Headed to the Bucks for nickels on the dollar.
It seems like just yesterday that Salmons was tearing it up for the Bulls in the postseason. In the first round of the '09 playoffs, he was an absolute beast against the Celtics, going off for 35 points on a dramatic Game 6 win at the United Center. And yet less than a year later he was cast off, seen as a roadblock in the Bulls' way. Salmons and his $5.8 million player option for 2010-11 were no part of the Bulls' plans.
The Bucks saw him differently. In Milwaukee, the 30-year-old swingman was part of the solution, not the problem. He jumped into the Bucks' rotation and made an immediate impact, dropping 19 in a win over the Pistons in his Feb. 19 debut and only getting better from there. By April, he was a regular starter for an East playoff team. He was a big reason that the Bucks, even without injured star Andrew Bogut, shocked the world and took the Hawks to seven games in round one this spring.
Salmons is in Milwaukee to stay. He may have hinted otherwise at first — he ended June by opting out of the $5.8 million that was sitting on the table for next season, becoming a free agent. Then a week later he was back — and joining him in Milwaukee were Drew Gooden (five years, $32 million) and Corey Maggette (acquired in a trade with Golden State).
Suddenly, the future looks bright in Milwaukee.
The Bucks have a stacked lineup of veteran wing scorers. Bogut should return next season, and he just might return to the form that made him an All-NBA center last season. Brandon Jennings is one of the best young guards in the game, and he should only get better in year two. Carlos Delfino and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who were both playoff starters this spring, will become superb bench role players.
All the pieces are now in place for the Bucks to make some noise in the East. And for Salmons, who was nothing more than a salary dump a few months ago, next season will be a new beginning.
