Because of injuries — first Carlos Boozer in the preseason now Joakim Noah — it’s hard to know exactly how good the Bulls are with this roster.
But when Bulls fans and people around the league start speculating about trades to improve the club, it often starts at the shooting guard. That’s where Keith Bogans is starting with Ronnie Brewer and Kyle Korver getting considerable run off the bench behind him.
Don’t bet on the Bulls making a move there, the Chicago Sun Times reports.According to an NBA source, no deal is imminent or even likely — even though the Bulls have had recent talks with a few teams….
A few of the proposals would hurt their chances of joining the league’s elite in the next two or three years. The worst thing the Bulls could do is make a move to win a few more games (and possibly a playoff series) by reducing their flexibility going forward. With a core of Derrick Rose, 22, Joakim Noah, 25, Luol Deng, 25, and Carlos Boozer, 28, the Bulls have to plan for the long term.
The two names that often come up for the Bulls are Charlotte’s Stephen Jackson or Memphis’ O.J. Mayo. But both of them have issues of fit. Jackson at age 32 has two more seasons at $19.2 million left — that’s’ a lot of money heading into a new salary structure under whatever collective bargaining agreement is approved. Plus he is at an age where traditionally stats for guards start to decline.
Mayo is younger and less expensive right now, but like Derrick Rose his rookie deal will be up soon and he will demand a much bigger salary.
Besides, the Bulls are 20-10, the three seed in the East right now, and we still don’t know how good they really are. Patience may be the smart play here, other doors will open down the line.