Bulls Trade Rumors: Analyzing Arron Afflalo, Taj Gibson Buzz
Now is that time Chicago Bulls fans will look back on with serious animosity or sheer glee.
There is a fine line between "what could have been" and "what saved the championship hopes" that the Bulls continue to walk like a tightrope with the NBA trade deadline on approach.
The Bulls are right in the thick of things at 34-20 and don't figure to leave regardless of whether the front office makes a move at the deadline.
Great, but this concerns what happens after. The Bulls simply look like a team that is one piece away from title contention—or will otherwise become lost in the postseason shuffle.
There are tradable assets on the roster, and the wealth of rumors that surround the team seem to imply the front office wants to make a move.
If championship contention is the goal, there seems to be a few options on the table.
The Market for Taj Gibson
Taj Gibson is the epicenter of the chatter surrounding the Bulls.
As always.
The 29-year-old star is averaging just 28.5 minutes per game, but he still posts a 10.7/6.7/1.3 slash line and a 15.95 player efficiency rating, per ESPN.com.
This makes Gibson both a key contributor and critical piece the front office can float out on the market, should it choose to do so. According to Fox Sports Ohio's Sam Amico, there is certainly a market for the potential Sixth Man of the Year:
"Point guard Norris Cole (Miami Heat), shooting guard Lance Stephenson (Charlotte Hornets) and power forward Taj Gibson (Chicago Bulls) are three more players making the rounds on the NBA trade-rumor mill. The Milwaukee Bucks are said to have a strong interest in Gibson, and some interest in Cole.
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It's a mighty risk-reward scenario for the Bulls.
Gibson is a stellar contributor and has a manageable cap hit, counting for $8.5 million next season and $8.95 million in 2016, per Spotrac. There is even more value to keeping him around when one recalls that Joakim Noah is spotty at best in the attendance category.
It likely all comes down to what a team offers in exchange at the deadline. If it's a strong rotational shooter and the front office figures to have no luck on the buyout or free-agency market, then perhaps the Bulls will bite.
Don't count on Gibson moving, though, especially after taking the next bit of details into consideration.
Arron Afflalo and the Overarching Strategy
The cost dynamic will decide all for the Bulls.
For example, the team would love to acquire a shooter such as veteran Arron Afflalo, who currently suits up for the Denver Nuggets but is a regular on the rumor mill.
The connection makes sense. Afflalo is 29 years old and pretty affordable with a player option in 2015 that represents a $7.5 million cap hit, per Spotrac, something he figures to opt out of either way in order to pursue another major contract on the open market.
For the woeful Nuggets, the UCLA product still posts 14.5/1.9/3.4 and an 11.77 PER. Given Denver's status as sellers, it makes sense that the Bulls are one of the teams that dipped their toes into the water concerning Afflalo, per ESPN's Ramona Shelburne:
A dip of the toes is all that it may turn out to be, though, as K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune points out that the Bulls are not intent on trading away anything of significance for more production out of the backcourt:
The Nuggets are a bit greedy in their asking prices at the moment, a byproduct of striking gold after trading Timofey Mozgov.
Chicago, on the other hand, sounds as if it is content to roll with its current roster and perhaps compete on the market for a buyout at some point down the road.
These things can change in a hurry, though. All it takes is one team to soften its stance in the waning moments of the deadline and the Bulls can score big with an additional shooter at a price more in line with what they are willing to surrender.
The Bulls seem to have a sound strategy set in stone, complemented by a strong backup plan, too. One way or another, the Bulls will not be complacent as the postseason nears with the Eastern Conference up for grabs.
All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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