The Chicago Bulls are looking to make moves and the Kevin Love trade is a target and that likely means a trade with Carlos Boozer and Taj Gibson and if the team misses that deal, names like For Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Luol Deng and Lance Stephenson could be free agent targets to team up with Derrick Rose for next year as Chicago tries to win a championship.
The Bulls have moves they can make, but they will need to make trades for that to happen and Boozer is the likely candidate. Last season he was not at his best and with the amount of money he makes, the Bulls have to find a way to get rid of that and they could use the amnesty clause on him, but they would rather trade him if they can. The team could be in the mix for Love if they want to make that deal, but they will have to convince the Timberwolves to make it happen and they also have to make moves themselves.
Taj Gibson could get moved in a deal, while Derrick Rose could get a new player to form a Big 3 with Joakim Noah. LeBron James is another target and now he could be in the mix to bring Anthony to Chicago, as reports have Miami looking at Anthony as an option for the Heat. This summer should be very dramatic and the Bulls could be right in the middle of it all.
Last season Carlos Boozer had his worst year in Chicago and he made over $15 million and still has a high salary and that is one reason why he is likely gone after this season. Boozer made $15,300,000 last season and now that he is 32 years old he is clearly in decline and his stats last season showed it, as he averaged just 13 points and eight rebounds and now he could be an amnesty candidate. The team still likely would have to make other moves, likely Taj Gibson, but Boozer will definitely have to get wiped from the books to get Anthony.
Chicago is trying to make a Big 3 with Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah and they see Love or Carmelo Anthony as top targets this offseason to do it. The Bulls will need to clear some cap space to get anything done with Anthony or Love and they likely will look to trade Carlos Boozer or amnesty to get one of those deal done. The Rockets are also trying to make moves this offseason and they may try and get Love as well and they are in the mix for Anthony too. According to SI.com, the Rockets and the Bulls are the two main teams going for Anthony and Houston will need to make some trades to get that deal done. Houston has both Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik on the last years of their contracts and with the money they are making they have no choice but to try and move them.
Anthony is heading towards free agency this summer and while it's not a guarantee that he will opt out of his contract with the Knicks, everyone is treating it like a foregone conclusion. The Knicks feel that they have the best chance to sign him since they can give him the most money and the longest contract, but according to ESPN.com, Anthony will weigh his options this summer and the Chicago Bulls and Houston Rockets are both expected to make strong pushes to sign him no matter what the Knicks do. Phil Jackson has spoken about how he wants to keep Anthony and the two have met already this offseason and that could lead to a deal getting done.