Bulls Rumors: Latest Buzz Around Carlos Boozer and Dwight Howard Talk

Ken Berger of CBSSports reveals that the Orlando Magic have a preferred trading partner if they could only get Dwight Howard to agree—the Chicago Bulls. What is intriguing is not only that the Bulls would be their preferred destination, but who they would want in return—Per Berger.

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But the team that can make the strongest case for Orlando to depart from its risky strategy of holding onto Howard are the Bulls, who could offer seven-footer Omer Asik, Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer for Howard and Hedo Turkoglu, sources said. The Bulls also could offer a valuable first-round pick from Charlotte—top-14 protected in this year's draft but but unprotected by 2016.

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Note the names on the list and not on the list. Previous renditions of this speculation involved Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson, a pair of players who would be far harder to part with than Carlos Boozer and Omer Asik. While previously I've been skeptical about a Howard trade, this is intriguing.  

Of course, the Bulls would also be surrendering Luol Deng, which runs the risk of putting Tom Thibodeau into a moribund fit of depression. That loss would certainly hurt, but the return makes this a lot more tempting. 

Some have argued that Noah would be a better power forward than center anyway. The defensive combination of Noah and Howard, possibly the two best defensive bigs in the NBA right now, is a tantalizing idea. After all, championships are won and lost in the paint. 

With Noah's athleticism and ability to help on defense combined with Howard's three-time Defensive Player of the Year capabilities, and all that being coached by the best defensive mind in the game, you have to at least consider the possibility here.

Offensively, with Noah's "tornado shot" improving, they could also work a pretty decent high-low game.

Not to be lost in this would be the addition of Hedo Turkoglu, who wouldn't fully compensate for the loss of Luol Deng, but he could help. Jimmy Butler is developing nicely. They would have a respectable compliment to Howard and Noah in the wings. 

Then, leave us not forget, they still have Derrick Rose. Rose and Howard would form the best point guard-center tandem since the days of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. 

While the Bulls wouldn't be able to rely on Howard as much in the clutch, they would be able to get some help from Turkoglu, who has been a good clutch shooter historically. 

In terms of "big threes," the Rose/Howard//Noah trio wouldn't quite measure up to LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in terms of overall talent, but the fact that they would be able to dominate the paint compensates for the difference.

Certainly it would be enough to challenge the Heat for supremacy of the Eastern Conference and the NBA for years to come. With the Bulls being able to keep the bulk of their bench in such a transaction, it's hard to argue they wouldn't have the advantage over Miami in a seven-game series. 

If Dwight Howard utters the magic words, "I'm open to Chicago," it's a trade that would likely be done fairly quickly. I guess that all it comes down to is this: How bad does Howard want to be part of a dynasty? If he is willing to concede Batman status to Rose, he can be.