When the Chicago Bulls traded for Otto Porter Jr., they took on a massive contract and a banged-up player who had never quite reached the expectations of his status as a third-overall pick.
But on a woefully-bad Bulls team—Chicago was 12-41 when they made the trade—the weight of Porter’s contract dissipated.
What use was there to hem and haw over Porter’s paycheck when only two other players on the team were making more than $10 million? There was no need to frame his performance within the context of his $106 million contract and the Bulls were able to enjoy Porter in ways the Washington Wizards, who had strained against the luxury tax line since they re-signed him, simply could not.