The Chicago Bulls may look at a Taj Gibson trade this season and teams like the Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, Toronto Raptors, Portland Trail Blazers or Miami Heat could be potential options for a move and this comes after Derrick Rose has given his support about keeping Gibson on the team as the Bulls try and make a championship run.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, Gibson has been getting attention on the market from contending teams looking for a big man. The Suns reportedly are interested along with the Toronto Raptors and Blazers, according to Chris Sheridan. The Blazers, Rockets and Clippers are all dealing with injuries in the front court and they all could be options for the Bulls if they decide to deal Gibson. The Bulls have Nikola Mirotic and Pau Gasol and that is one reason why he has been pushed back in the rotation.
The Bulls come into the All-Star break first in the central after winning over the Cavaliers and now they have the chance to make a strong second half run. Gibson is a target for a number of teams, as the Sporting News reports that the Phoenix Suns, Raptors, Portland Trail Blazers, Detroit Pistons and Clippers all could be interested in him. Gibson could be tough to move since he has two years and over $17 million on his deal, but he is just 29 years old and is a productive player.
Gibson has not been playing as much with Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic in Chicago. Gibson is averaging 10 points and six rebounds per game this season, basically in line with his numbers from last year. According to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune, the relationship between Thibodeau and the front office is not good and if the team doesn't have a successful postseason run, he wouldn't be surprised if the sides have a "mutual parting" at the end of the year. Thibodeau has been very successful, but the Bulls have not been able to make it to the finals and part of that has been the injuries to Rose the past couple years.
Jimmy Butler has been the best player overall for the Bulls this season and he is averaging 20.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Butler was named to the All-Star team and with that being in NY, the Knicks interest surely will get reported on. The Knicks want to sign Butler as a restricted free agent, but that's unlikely, as the Bulls have said they will match any offers.
