Bulls signings of James, Brewer have an eye towards summer moves

The Chicago Bulls need practice bodies, that much is for sure. The signings of Ronnie Brewer, Mike James and Lou Amundson were done with that in mind, as 11 players is simply too few to comfortably enter the playoffs with.

However, the Bulls may have made these signings with a creative eye to the future, as well. According to the Chicago Tribune, the deals for James and Brewer have non-guaranteed team options for a second season (there was no word on Amundson's deal).

Why does that matter? Well, as explained when the Cavaliers signed Scotty Hopson recently, non-guaranteed years on a contract are valuable come summer. While the Bulls signed these players too late to deal them by the NBA draft in June, their non-guaranteed deals will remain on the books into the offseason - that allows the Bulls to use them in any trades, helping to match salaries while also potentially helping another team clear money off the books (by acquiring the salary and then waiving the player).

That is, non-guaranteed deals, even small ones, provide flexibility for the Bulls at almost no real financial cost. If they don't trade these players, they can simply cut them before the guarantee date. Until then, they're valuable trade ballast.