The Chicago Bulls have been one of the best teams in the east this season, but if Derrick Rose goes down with an injury there is a chance the team could look at making a trade, as names like Brook Lopez, Greg Monroe, George Hill, Derrick Williams, Wilson Chandler, David West and Tayshaun Prince could be on the trading block around the deadline.
The Bulls are one of the best teams in the east and they are considered favorites along with the Cavaliers, but injuries could play a big part for the team. Derrick Rose is back, but he has been in and out of the lineup and his loss is always a concern after what happened the past two years. Taj Gibson is returning as well, but he has been banged up and his status could be big going forward, as the team needs depth up front behind Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah. Speaking of Noah, he has missed time this season and is out for the Wednesday game against the Nets.
Noah is one of the best defensive players in the league and he has been dealing with a nagging ankle injury. The injury is not considered serious, but Noah will get the night off and ESPN.com reports that Gibson will be back in the lineup after also dealing with an ankle injury. The Bulls have depth on this team but to make a championship run they need Rose healthy and if he goes down, they could look at making trades. The same goes for Gibson and he could end up being a target for teams after he was shopped this summer in the Kevin Love deals.
The Bulls did a good job adding talent this summer, as they brought in Gasol as well as Nikola Mirotic and Doug McDermott while also signing Aaron Brooks. The team has a better backup in Brooks for Rose than they did last season with DJ Augustin, but if Rose goes down again it changes everything for the Bulls. The team may explore some trades this year at the deadline and it likely will depend on where the team is come January and whether any key players are injured.
The Bulls likely will not make any major moves at the deadline, but if someone goes down things could change. Names like David West, Andrei Kirilenko and Greg Monroe have been out there as potential trade targets, while some new reports have the Brooklyn Nets possibly breaking things down. According to ESPN.com, the Nets are letting teams know that Brook Lopez, Deron Williams and Joe Johnson are available in deals.
Lopez could be an interesting option for the Bulls if they deal with a serious injury up front, as he could be a strong option in the front court with Gasol. Lopez has dealt with his own injury issues in the past, but he is averaging 16.1 points and 6.2 rebounds while playing in 16 games and he could be an interesting target for the team. Lopez dealt with a foot injury and played in 17 games last season and he is signed to a four-year, $60 million deal that started up in 2012.
