The Chicago Bulls have their sight set on a major name this offseason and names like Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Love, LeBron James and LaMarcus Aldridge are targets and to get any of those deals done, the team may have to trade Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer along with Taj Gibson this summer.
James and Anthony are both expected to opt out of their contracts this summer and Kevin Love is the main subject of trade rumors in the NBA. According to ESPN.com and SI.com, the Bulls are planning on making a run at Anthony and they also see James as a realistic target now that the Heat lost in the NBA finals. The report says that the Bulls could be willing to trade Noah in a deal to clear space and that comes after the team had him off limits in deals for years. The Bulls are motivated to capitalize on Derrick Rose coming back healthy and they feel they are just a move or two away from a championship run.
Love could be tough to acquire, while Anthony would be a perfect fit, as the team needs scoring badly. The Bulls ranked last in the league in points per game last season and first in defense and adding Anthony could help greatly. The Knicks are trying to keep Melo and they can give him the longest contract and the highest amount of money and that could be enough to keep him in the fold. The Bulls will need to move Boozer and his $15 million to get anything done and that would give them the space to make moves. The Heat are not planning on letting James go easily and they may try and get some more free agents in the mix to make sure he stays.
Anthony has praised Tom Thibodeau in the past and Noah has been working on recruiting him and if they clear enough space, Anthony could sign. James is likely staying with the Heat, but the Knicks, Rockets and Bulls all will go after him and while Miami looks to be the likely option, anything can happen. The Bulls see Rose as the key and if he can come back healthy the team can make a big run in the playoffs. The Bulls are looking to get back to the finals for the first time since Jordan and both Melo and LeBron could see that as a challenge to take on.
The Miami Heat are obviously the top choice to get LeBron and following that SI.com writes that the Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets and Lakers also could be options. James wants to win and that is his number one priority and going to LA could mean a slight rebuild with the way they played last season, but it also would mean teaming up with Kobe Bryant, who is not always known as the best team player. The report says that the Lakers could wait and see who James wants as coach before hiring one, but James heading out west is unlikely no matter how much he loves LA.
