The Chicago Bulls have been one of the best teams in the NBA this season and if they deal with injuries to Derrick Rose, Pau Gasol or Joakim Noah, the team could looks at signing Josh Smith, while Brook Lopez, Greg Monroe, Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green are potential trade options at the deadline in February.
The Bulls have a fairly deep roster after signing Gasol and adding Doug McDermott, Nikola Mirotic and Aaron Brooks in the offseason, but with Rose in and out of the lineup and McDermott now injured, they could look at adding some support. According to ESPN.com reporter Marc Stein, the Bulls may look at adding another big man up front to help later in the playoffs and the Nets could be an option with Lopez. The Nets reportedly are shopping him along with Deron Williams and Joe Johnson, while Monroe is also a potential target, but he is less likely to be traded.
Hibbert has been mentioned in trade rumors since last summer, as the Pacers are going through a tough season with Paul George out, but no deals with him are imminent. The Suns and Pistons also showed interest in Hibbert, but if he gets moved it will likely be around the trade deadline. Monroe has control over getting traded since he signed a qualifying offer and now that Josh Smith has been waived, he likely will not be traded.
Lopez and Hibbert are better options and if anyone goes down, the Bulls could look at making a move at some point. Smith likely will end up somewhere else, but after the team chased Carmelo Anthony in the offseason, the Bulls could look at add Smith if he clears waivers. This season Smith was averaging 13.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game for the Pistons before he was let go (and he also will collect millions in guaranteed money).
The Bulls have been one of the top teams in the east and they are 17-9 in the central division in first place over the Cavaliers. The Bulls are ranked 12th in the league in points per game this season and that is a vast improvement over last year when they were ranked last in the league. The team was first in defense last season and now they are 11th and they also are seventh in rebounds per game this season. Rose has played well when he has been in the lineup, but the Bulls know that he could get injured at any time.
The team is better prepared than they were over the past couple years for Rose being injured and that is one reason why they signed Brooks. The biggest difference this year has been the play of Jimmy Butler, as he has emerged as a star for the Bulls. Even if the team doesn't add at the deadline, they should be fine into the playoffs because of Butler. This season Butler is leading the team in scoring with over 20 points per game and he is one of the league leaders in minutes played as well. In the win over the Grizzlies, one of the top teams in the league, Butler had 31 points to lead the Bulls in the 103-97 victory.
