Why the Chicago Bulls Should Trade Joakim Noah To Upgrade the SG Spot

Now that the NBA has rejected the Chris Paul trade, I think the Bulls could sneak in and take advantage.

No not to get Paul, but to get Kevin Martin.

In exchange, Gar Foreman could send Joakim Noah down to Houston and everyone could be very happy.

The Rockets were going to acquire Pau Gasol in the trade, but I'm sure they would much rather have a 26-year-old rather then a 31-year-old. Pairing Noah with Luis Scola would give Houston a very strong lineup down low and someone to build around.

For the Bulls, Martin would be a dream come true. He has averaged over 20 points per game over the last five seasons and is an excellent shooter. He shoots over 38 percent from beyond the arc and 44.5 percent from the field. Also he shoots over 86 percent from the free-throw line.

Martin is exactly what the Bulls need to counteract what the Heat have done. With Miami signing Shane Battier, it gives them three solid perimeter defenders while the Bulls only have two players capable of scoring from the wing. Putting Martin alongside Derrick Rose and Luol Deng would make a very potent offense.

Martin is younger then both Jason Richardson and Jamal Crawford, and while both of them might require a four-year contract, Martin is already under contract for this season and next. 

Losing Noah would hurt the Bulls in many ways, but not many of those can be measured on the floor. Chicago has a young center with possibly as much potential as Noah in Omer Asik. Noah is the emotional leader of the team, but with his injury history it would be smart for the Bulls to trade him now.

Noah is entering the first year of his new contract, which makes the trade a little more difficult than just a straight-up trade. Martin makes just under $12 million while Noah makes exactly $12 million. However, because it is the first year of his contract, his trade value is only half of that. To make the trade work the Bulls would have to include someone like C.J. Watson or someone making around $3 million. See the trade for yourself.

Also, the Bulls will save about $36 million long term that could go to re-signing Taj Gibson and Asik down the road.

With a starting lineup of Rose, Martin, Deng, Carlos Boozer and Asik, along with a bench of Taj Gibson, Kyle Korver and Ronnie Brewer, the Bulls would be ready to compete with any in the league. 

They would also still have their mid-level exemption to use on the likes of Grant Hill, Kurt Thomas and others.

Now is the time for the Bulls to strike. Swoop in and pick at the pieces of a trade that fell apart. With Shannon Brown, Tracy McGrady and Caron Butler all off the market, the Bulls might end up without a dance partner at the end of the night.

Stop waiting to see if Richardson or Crawford will accept a pay cut and go out and make the aggressive move.