The Chicago Bulls may look at a trade at the deadline this season with Taj Gibson if Derrick Rose comes down with a serious injury and names like Ben Gordon, Caron Butler, Wilson Chandler, Derrick Williams, Randy Foye, David West or George Hill could be potential targets for the team, as they feel they have a major window to make a championship run in 2014-15, even if Rose gets injured.
The Bulls have dealt with serious injuries to Rose over the past two seasons and while they still made the playoffs, the team was not fully prepared for his loss. While they are better suited now, as they added Doug McDermott, Aaron Brooks and Nikola Mirotic this offseason, the team still may consider trades down the line. According to Marc Stein at ESPN.com, the team may look at trades for depth in some areas, as Gibson and other players have been in and out of the lineup with injuries this season.
Stein also writes that the recent play of the Cavaliers has the Bulls looking at options, as they long realized that the team would turn things around quickly this season. The Bulls are currently first in the central division and considered to be one of the favorites in the east, but they may need to add a bit behind Pau Gasol and Jimmy Butler if Rose goes down. The play of Butler is a reason why the Bulls may not end up making a move, but he is already playing a ton of minutes and that could factor into the decision as well.
Rose dealt with multiple nagging injuries to start the season and was out for a bit and during that time Butler showed why he could be the most important player for the Bulls this season. Butler is leading the team in scoring with 21 points per game and he is one of the league leaders in minutes played. Butler is putting himself in position to have a big pay day, as he is heading towards free agency and already rejected a contract offer from the Bulls.
Chicago added Pau Gasol this offseason and they have a great frontline, but after Gibson came up in trade rumors this summer, there is a chance he could get moved. SI.com put together a list of potential options and Gerald Green was mentioned, as he is with the Suns and is in a crowded roster situation. The Suns could look at moving him, while the Celtics may trade Jeff Green and he could be a target as well. The Pacers may blow things up a bit if they struggle, while Caron Butler, Wilson Chandler and Gordon could also be shopped by their teams.
The Bulls are 12-7 this season and they are first in the central division over the Cavaliers and they come into this weekend after winning over the Hornets. The team hosts the Warriors on Saturday and then will play against the Brooklyn Nets in a nice east matchup. The team is getting strong play from Butler as well as Gasol, who was tops with 19 points and 15 rebounds in the game against Charlotte.
