This is the stage of an NBA season where teams discuss potential deals, decide which ones make sense, then get serious in the weeks leading up to the Feb. 19 trade deadline.
It really doesn?t take any insider information to figure out the Bulls? plans, just a set of eyes.
They will build around rookie Derrick Rose, that?s a given. But the Bulls have proven time and again this season they?re a long way from competing with the elite teams. So a little tweak of the roster won?t do much good. They need to make a big splash.
So count on the No. 1 priority being something that will create salary cap room in 2010, with the primary free agent targets Toronto?s Chris Bosh and Phoenix? Amare Stoudemire. There may even be an outside chance Chicago native Dwyane Wade will be interested in coming home from Miami.
The Bulls don?t necessarily have to do anything to create enough room to sign a max player in 2010, just let Ben Gordon and Drew Gooden walk as free agents this summer. Larry Hughes? expensive deal expires after next season.
But with Gordon (20.9 ppg) playing very well, another option is to deal Kirk Hinrich, Andres Nocioni or Luol Deng for a shorter contract and try to re-sign Gordon. Hinrich and Nocioni should have decent trade value, but Deng is a long shot to be moved. No team will be anxious to take on his new contract, which peaks at $14.3 million in 2013-14.
Also, general manager John Paxson will have to ask himself if it makes any sense to move Nocioni, one of the few players who shows some heart on this team.
Now, if the Bulls can make a positive move without adding a contract that lasts beyond 2010, they?ll be glad to do it. The obvious need is inside help, preferably someone with experience.
But it wouldn?t surprise me if Paxson sets out to change the scenery and brings in some new faces just for the sake of change. This season is shaping up as a replay of last year, when the schedule offered numerous opportunities for the Bulls to push into the playoffs, but they never did.
Anyone could get traded, with the exception of Rose and Ben Gordon, who by rule has to approve any move since he signed the one-year qualifying offer. If Gordon did get traded, he?d lose his Bird rights (which allow a team to exceed the salary cap to re-sign its own player), so he?s not going anywhere before the season ends.
Gooden is a prime candidate to be traded, since it appears unlikely he?ll re-sign with the Bulls this summer. An ideal move would be to swap him for a player whose contract expires next year, which could work for both sides if the other team wants to save some money. Some big men who fit that description are the Clippers? Marcus Camby (maybe), Toronto?s Andrea Bargnani (maybe) and Miami?s Udonis Haslem (doubtful).
Most of the other centers that might be available (Chris Kaman, Sam Dalembert, Troy Murphy, Nick Collison) have contracts that run through 2011 or beyond. But in theory, those players could be potential assets if the Raptors decide to make a pre-emptive trade next year before Bosh becomes a free agent.
Another goal is to find a new home for Hughes. The Bulls? abysmal defense has proved the need to get Hinrich back on the floor once he returns from thumb surgery and Hughes is the natural odd man out.
Hughes could be traded straight-up for Sacramento center Brad Miller, but the Kings would likely want Joakim Noah included in the deal. If cash and draft picks could be used as sweetener, it would make sense for the Bulls.
Portland might offer Channing Frye and Travis Outlaw for one of the Bulls? established players besides Hughes.
There is plenty of trade talk going on, according to league insiders. Three teams (Boston, Cleveland, Los Angeles Lakers), maybe four (Orlando) are head and shoulders above everyone else, so it stands to reason that plenty of general managers are looking to make changes.
Underachievers like Toronto, Philadelphia, Indiana, Washington, Charlotte, Utah, Sacramento and Oklahoma City will no doubt be looking to make changes, while some of the better teams will try to catch up to the NBA?s big four.
Bulls fans should hope Paxson keeps his Blackberry charged.
