NBA Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz Surrounding Celtics and Bulls

Only four teams are left in the NBA playoffs, leaving 26 others to begin contemplating how to be in that same position this time next year. For some, it’s a matter of luring prized free agents to their teams. To others, it’s beginning to ponder what trades can be made to put their teams over the edge.  

With the postseason winding down and both the 2015 NBA draft and free agency getting closer, rumors are beginning to swirl. Among the teams already rumored to be trying to make moves are a pair of Eastern Conference playoff teams: the Boston Celtics and the Chicago Bulls.

Celtics looking to bolster frontcourt

Coming off of a first-round exit in the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Celtics may be looking to bolster their frontcourt. One player the team is reportedly eyeing is former Kentucky big man Willie Trill Cauley-Stein.

According to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com, the Celtics are "very open" to moving up in June’s NBA draft in order to take Cauley-Stein off of the board.

Cauley-Stein was one of the first players that Boston interviewed this past week at the predraft combine, per the report. Of course, he’s likely a top-10 pick in this draft class, so the Celtics must find a way to move up a handful of spots from where they sit with the No. 16 overall selection.

One player the Celtics could use to move into the top 10 is Cauley-Stein’s former teammate James Young. Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald previously speculated that Young could be a valuable trading chip for the team. Last year, he was the Celtics’ pick at No. 17, but one general manager told the newspaper he could have been a top-10 pick in this year’s draft if he had remained in school: “Look, Boston still doesn’t know what they have in James Young. But what we do know is that if Young went back to school for another year, we’d be talking about him as a top-10 pick in this draft.”

Cauley-Stein is the younger, less expensive alternative to free agents such as LaMarcus Aldridge, who was rumored to be a Celtics target by Blakely. He flaunts excellent athleticism for a 7-footer and would give Boston another dimension defensively. 

Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson among Bulls' trade pieces

Joakim Noah has long been the heart of this Bulls squad, but if the team gets shaken up and Tom Thibodeau does not return as its head coach, Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders believes Noah is a candidate to be moved: “It is difficult to imagine his trade value increasing from this point forth, especially if he is playing for a new head coach next year. Noah is another uniform? As the Bulls approach their crossroads this offseason, it is certainly something that should, at the very least, be considered a possibility.”

Giving further credence to this is Grantland's Zach Lowe, who believes the Bulls could part ways with the center if they can get a solid return for him or don't believe he can play at the level he's accustomed to.

In addition, Lowe believes Taj Gibson is on his way out of Chicago.

Noah turned 30 in February, and the 2013-14 NBA Defensive Player of the Year is coming off of arguably his worst statistical campaign since his first and second years in the league. Noah averaged 7.2 points per game, his lowest total since 2008-09, and he shot a career-worst 45 percent from the floor.

In addition, the two-time All-Star averaged 9.6 rebounds per game, his lowest mark since that 2008-09 season.

With what appears to be a deteriorating skill set, Noah is an attractive trading piece with only one year remaining on his current deal. Contending and rebuilding teams alike may be willing to take on Noah’s $13.9 million salary in hopes of using his defensive intensity for a title run or shedding the cap space for the much anticipated summer of 2016.

As for the Bulls, trading Noah may be worth it if and only if they can find another big man in the draft or in free agency. Perhaps Pau Gasol could recruit brother Marc to the Windy City to be the team’s new big man, or the team can find an adequate replacement with the No. 22 overall selection next month.