The Chicago Bulls are coming into the 2014-15 season with championship expectations and with Pau Gasol signed and Jimmy Butler coming up to the contract extension deadline, there is a chance the team could look at a trade with either Butler or Taj Gibson this year if Rose goes down with an injury again, as the Bulls feel they can still make a title run even if D-Rose is not at 100 percent strength.
The Bulls flirted with trade talk this summer with Kevin Love, but the team never quite got as far as the Cavaliers. Reports had the team willing to part with Gibson and possibly Butler in that deal and while they did not go down, trade rumors could come up again. Gasol is going to start over Gibson and if Rose gets injured for a third straight season, the Bulls may consider drastic options to capitalize on this moment.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, the Bulls and Butler are in the same spot that Iman Shumpert and the Knicks and Tristan Thomson and the Cavs are in, as they all are coming up on extension deadlines. Butler said that he is confident he signs a deal with the Bulls, while the Knicks and Cavs have not moved very far with their players. ESPN.com writer Scott Powers reports that Butler is confident in a deal, even with the deadline right around the corner. Butler wants to stick around, but a trade could go down later on if a deal does not get done by the two sides.
Many experts are high on the Bulls this season and some predictions from ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports and other outlets have the team making it through the east over the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Bulls have a deep roster and they made some very good moves this offseason, including adding Pau Gasol and trading for Doug McDermott. The team also agreed with Nikola Mirotic and now he is in on a rookie deal and that gives the Bulls some very solid offensive weapons.
Gasol is in for Carlos Boozer and the team also added Aaron Brooks as a backup for Rose. The Bulls have the toughest division in the league and even with Paul George injuries, the Pacers and the Cavaliers both should be tough to deal with. The Bulls had the best defensive unit in the league last season and one of the worst offense based on points per game and that is why they went after Carmelo Anthony. The team now has Gasol in and he is an upgrade on both ends of the floor from Boozer.
Butler is a very solid player and so is Gibson, but the Bulls could look at making moves depending on how the season goes over the first couple months. Butler and other players nearing extensions are looking to get paid and he comes in after decreasing his three point shooting from two seasons ago to last year. The team also has a player option for Kirk Hinrich and also the team option for Tony Snell and those decisions could alter what the team decides to do the rest of the way and they have over $60 million on th cap for 2015-16, according to the website Spotrac that covers contracts.