Ben Gordon Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls are known to not pay a premium after a basketball player proves himself on and off the court.  Chicago Bulls guard Ben Gordon won’t sign the club’s one year qualifying offer of $6.4 million, setting the stage for a possible departure from the team, The Chicago Tribune reported Saturday.

It was no surprise that Ben Gordon turned down a five-year, $50 extension last summer.  Gordon is believed to be seeking about $72 million, which would put the club into luxury tax range.

That sounds like a lot of money for a player to make, but let’s be honest, he is one of the best NBA guards in the league.  You can also comfortably say that the global interest and corporate sponsorship in the NBA is at an all time high, which means market conditions could not be better for Ben Gordon.

So where will Ben Gordon play next year?  Maybe Josh Childress and Brandon Jennings are in his fave 5, or maybe he’s following the NBA slogan, “Basketball without Borders” as he explores the European basketball lifestyle, or maybe he stays close to home.

One thing is for sure, Ben Gordon deserves to be paid fair market value for his services.