The latest Chicago Bulls rumors swirling are courtesy of the NBA's inside man: Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. According to his most recent report, it appears the Bulls have Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and Pau Gasol on the trade block. The questions here are, which one should go -- if any of them -- and what could each one's possible return be?
Wojnarowski said in a podcast recently that "executives around the league, and people have told me, that the Bulls are very determined to add a talented wing player," via CBSSports.com.
Originally, Woj reported that the Bulls were looking to move Noah or Gibson (likely not both) in order to do this. The Chicago Sun-Times said "several sources" say the Bulls are taking offers on not only those two, but Gasol as well.
Ultimately, to figure out what may happen, we need to examine how each of these guys have played and what they could merit in return. As well, who is even available to be traded for from other NBA franchises?
Noah is hurt right now. He's not as ancient as everyone seems to believe at 30 years old and his play has improved drastically from last season and even the beginning of this one over the past month or so. That said, the shoulder injury and the overall recent history don't play well to his value. But he's also on a one-year deal, and many teams find a move for a veteran on a one-year deal attractive as a trade piece. I'd have to believe, factoring all of that in, that at least some teams could be interested.
As for Gibson, he has one more season after the 2015-16 campaign remaining on his contract. The USC product is also 30, as many may not have noticed, but the consistent borderline starter is rarely injured and is still productive. At this point, we'd have to assume is value is just a bit higher than Noah's as far as stepping right in and contributing is concerned.
Now we look at Gasol. Hands down, Gasol has been their go-to big man for the past season-plus. Ever since he came to Chicago, he's been outstanding. While the Bulls very well could be fielding calls for him, I'd imagine the asking price would be heavy if they were actually going to consider moving the Spaniard.
As Woj originally reported, it makes more sense that Noah or Gibson would be traded here. That is, if not Nikola Mirotic?
Personally, I feel the Bulls' front office would be remiss if they did not listen to offers for Mirotic as well. Of all the Chicago bigs, he's the most unreliable defender; and Niko's inconsistencies offensively don't make him an untouchable prospect. One has to wonder that Mirotic may be a more attractive option than the lot of them, and would actually work most in the Bulls' favor. After all, what is Chicago's main goal?
Get past the Cleveland Cavaliers and win the East.
They probably aren't talented enough to beat the Golden State Warriors or San Antonio Spurs, but with the right tweak or two of the roster, they can certainly get past the Cavs. And against Cleveland in the playoffs last year, which of the bigs struggled the most?
Mirotic.
He can't defend well enough to play the four or the five when the Cavs go small, and he simply isn't the right type of player for this squad. If I were the Bulls, I'd want to trade Mirotic before I trade any of the other ones.
But enough of that for now -- who's available?
The only wing who's actually being shopped for sure right now is the Minnesota Timberwolves' Kevin Martin. The 6-foot-7 guard-forward is having a down year by his standards, but is still shooting nearly 38 percent from deep. One thing to consider with Martin other then the need he fills offensively as another potentially reliable scorer is that his defense isn't fantastic. In fact, other than his length, he doesn't offer much defensively. Of course, he's never been on historically good defensive groups as he's played for the Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets and T-Wolves for most of his career. Perhaps on a more defensive-minded group like the Bulls, he might play just fine in that area while adding the offensive boost they need.
Another guy who could be available to at least be talked about may be the Memphis Grizzlies' Jeff Green. A terrific athlete, Green could be another explosive cutter and defender to add to the Bulls. However, he doesn't have the same deep-shooting success that a player like Martin has. And what is the Bulls' main objective with this type of trade more than likely? Add a guy who can space the floor well while not giving up a ton on the defensive side of the ball.
So perhaps Martin would be a good move.
Outside of those two, talks have been pretty quiet about other players who aren't centers like DeMarcus Cousins, Dwight Howard and Hassan Whiteside, who are all said to be on the block right now. Just spit-balling, perhaps players like Danilo Gallinari or Courtney Lee could become available.
All of these players, regardless of who it may or may not end up being traded for (again, if any at all), could be had for any of the Bulls bigs. The question is, who will it be?
In my book, as long as it isn't Gasol, the Bulls will be OK for this year's playoff run. As long as rookie Bobby Portis continues to get minutes and improve, the frontcourt will be looking strong moving forward.
