Bulls Trade Rumors: Lakers' Pau Gasol Doesn't Make Any Sense for Chicago

The rumor mill is working at full capacity with the NBA trade deadline quickly approaching, and one connection which won't go away is Pau Gasol and the Chicago Bulls. When you dig deeper, though, it's an option that the Bulls shouldn't even consider.

Gasol has been the constant source of speculation throughout the season ever since the Los Angeles Lakers attempted to move him following the lockout only to see the trade get vetoed. The pressure has caused his numbers to dip slightly from his usually high standards.

Sam Smith of Bulls.com reports his contract is another hurdle that will make a deal with the Lakers virtually impossible:

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Gasol has a 15 percent trade kicker in his contract, which means you’d be paying him almost $22 million, making him by far the highest paid Bull.

This, of course, at a time when he is averaging career low numbers, and the Bulls would go deep into the luxury tax and basically be precluded from making any additional transactions and perhaps need to dump a few bench players.

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That's a big commitment to make to a 31-year-old power forward, especially when the Bulls would be sending Carlos Boozer the other way. Boozer hasn't lived up to the hype since arriving in Chicago, but he's still averaging 16 points and eight rebounds this season.

Those numbers aren't far off from what Gasol is producing with the Lakers, and Boozer's contract will never reach $22 million. With all the salary cap rules and regulations, it's important to keep as much flexibility available as possible.

Above all else, the Bulls don't need some type of major move to become contenders. They are already at that level. Making a swap of Gasol is not guaranteed to improve the team. It will take some time to integrate him into the lineup.

Chemistry is the most overlooked part of trades. It happens in every sport, too.

A player can't move for Los Angeles' system to Chicago's system and be expected to produce at elite levels right away. There will always be a transition period and even when it's finally completed there's no way to be sure Gasol will significantly outproduce Boozer.

There's no reason for the Bulls to put their championship hopes out on a limb like that when they have a puncher's chance of making a run anyway. They are in that group of favorites along with the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder right now.

It would be like throwing a Hail Mary pass when there's still two minutes left in the game and you only need one yard for a first down. An unnecessary risk.

The Bulls are better off sticking with the horses who have helped them reach this point than suddenly reversing course. Especially when that new course costs $22 million.