A new coaching regime will bring new changes for the Chicago Bulls. Fred Hoiberg has been formally introduced as the new head coach for the franchise and with that could come a lot of roster moves in the upcoming offseason. The Bulls already have one star potentially departing as Jimmy Butler waits to hear about his contract situation, but could the Bulls have another departing star in the coming months?
According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, Joakim Noah is at risk of getting traded in the upcoming offseason. There is no denying that Noah took a step back this year. A lot of that could be due to the lingering knee injury he battled all season, but there was a real lack of offensive production from Noah that is a concern. At 30, he remains one of the best defenders in the league, but he is currently on the books for $13.4 million as he enters the final year of his deal. Cowley reports that with Derrick Rose healthy and Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic rising, Noah will be out.
The idea of trading Noah might seem crazy to some Bulls' fans, but considering the players available this offseason, it is not out of the quarterback. The Bulls are loaded with bigs. Gasol, Mirotic and Taj Gibson all battled for time on the court this year and certainly would not mind if there was one less body to compete with. Hoiberg told the media that he was already a big fan of Gasol and Gibson, but made no mention of Noah.
"We had a lot of success with that at Iowa State, using our bigs as playmakers in the open floor,'' Hoiberg said, via the Chicago Sun-Times. "And then Pau's ability to get up and seal in transition or go right into a drag screen and pop with his ability to shoot. And then the bench players, Taj, I've always loved his ability to get out, he's a great defensive player.''
According to Cowley, trading Noah is Plan A for the Bulls as they aim to give Butler a max contract. Plan B is trading Gibson who has seen his name mentioned in deals for over a year. IF there is not a market for Noah then Gibson could be the better option as Chicago aims to get some cap space. The Chicago Tribune already reported that re-signing Butler was a top priority which means either Noah or Gibson could be at risk of being out.
There are options for Chicago to replace either player. Marc Gasol, Brook Lopez and Greg Monroe will all be free agents this summer. Their contract demands will determine the amount of interest in them. There are middle-of-the-road options like Samuel Dalembert of Joel Anthony that could be quality depth guys while coming relatively cheap.