With the Chicago Bulls’ hopes to contend likely out the window, it’s time to focus on the future.
At this stage of the season, after the loss of the injured Joakim Noah, we can’t know exactly what the Chicago Bulls will do if they make a trade before the NBA’s February 18 deadline. Despite their fourth-place standing in the Eastern Conference it’s difficult to see them having a realistic chance of competing with a team like the Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs without their emotional leader, Noah.
So, with the win-now mindset having gone up in smoke, why not try to make some changes to begin next season in the best standing possible?
With Taj Gibson, Pau Gasol, Bobby Portis and the recently injured Noah, there’s plenty of talent in the Bulls’ frontcourt. Gibson and Noah don’t fit as well into Fred Hoiberg’s system as they did in Tom Thibodeau’s, and Noah is clearly in decline despite his effectiveness as a passer and interior defender. As for Gasol, he’s already made it known that it’s likely he’ll opt out of his contract with his player option after the season.
With all this in mind, it’s no surprise that Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times has reported that the Bulls have been taking trade calls on Gibson, Noah and Gasol.
"Gasol has a player option at the end of this season, and there continues to be more whispers that he’s done with the Bulls experiment, while Joakim Noah, Kirk Hinrich and Aaron Brooks each come off the books when this season comes to an end. Rose and Taj Gibson are free agents after next season, while the Bulls own the $5.175 million option on Mike Dunleavy for the 2017-18 season. The likes of Gibson, Noah and Gasol might not even see the end of their current contracts, as several sources indicated that the Bulls are taking calls on all three players as the trade deadline draws near."
Since this report in late December, things have changed an awful lot. For Noah, he’s having surgery on his dislocated shoulder, will be out for the rest of the season and is unlikely to be moved. As for Gasol, Gibson, and perhaps even Nikola Mirotic, they can still be the top potential trade candidates. The issue with Gasol is the fact that he’s a free agent when summer hits, but if a team thinks they can re-sign him, he still has real offensive value despite being 35 years old.
Even though Noah’s absence has impacted the Bulls’ depth, it’s still a chance for Portis to step up. So, despite being in a difficult situation, the Bulls can still look to make something happen and get pieces for Gasol now that they are realistically out of serious contention in the East.
It’s time to put the future, not the present, first.
Next: Targeting a new perimeter threat