Bulls Rumors: Adding Raja Bell Would Be Wrong Move for Chicago

Adding Raja Bell to the mix in Chicago was a good idea three years ago.

But that was then, and this is now—and now is not the time to add Bell to the Chicago Bull's backcourt.

Yahoo! Sports Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Bulls, along with the Los Angeles Lakers, are interested in acquiring Bell, who is currently a member of the Utah Jazz.

Well, he's sort of a member of the Utah Jazz.

Bell, 36, has yet to play for Utah this season, having been told to stay away from the team as his relationship with head coach Tyronne Corbin reached the point of no return at the end of the 2011-12 season (h/t ESPN).

If Bell is able to land a suitable offer from another team, he'd be able to pursue a buyout with the Jazz and get back onto the floor for a contender.

Wojnarowski says that the Bulls are open to giving Bell a non-guaranteed contract, something that Bell doesn't view as an upgrade to his present situation.

That should be the extent of the Bulls' attempts to land Bell.

Bell hasn't been able to play or practice with his teammates in Utah since the start of training camp. While you'd think that he would be keeping himself in shape, we don't know whether that's the case.

Even if he's in excellent shape, there's a difference between excellent shape and NBA shape—and he certainly would need some time to get his legs back underneath him.

After that, what purpose would Bell serve on the Bulls?

As a three-point specialist off the bench?

While Bell did shoot 39 percent from behind the arc last season, it came in a rather small sample size (34-for-87).

He's no longer the defensive stopper that he once was, and considering that a reduction in minutes was part of his problem in Utah, how exactly would he handle minimal time off of the bench for the Bulls?

There's simply too much risk for the Bulls to get involved.