The Chicago Bulls have set a top priority as they begin to contact players and agents for the upcoming free agency period, and that's to set up the framework for a new contract for star point guard Derrick Rose, according to Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago.
Rose, whose contract runs out after the season, is coming off a historically great season. At age 22, he become the youngest MVP in the history of the NBA, led the Bulls to a league-leading 62 wins, and then almost had them in the NBA Finals before the Miami Heat stifled the Bulls' Rose-led offense. And given all that he's accomplished, he should be in for a huge raise next season, especially given the implementation of the new "Derrick Rose Rule" in recently agreed-upon CBA.
That new rule states that players who meet certain requirements, like winning the MVP at age-22, can enable a player to make up to 30 percent of a team's salary cap space, instead of the standard 25 percent. Under these new provisions, that means that Rose will likely qualify for a five-year, $100 million contract, instead of a four-year, $74 million one. Friedell added that the team's next order of business will be upgrading the team's other guard position, after Keith Bogans started all 82 games in that spot last season.
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