The first round of the NBA playoffs is fully under way now, and it is weird that the Chicago Bulls are not one of the teams participating. Prior to this season, the Bulls had made the playoffs in 10 of their last 11 seasons, but in their first year under Fred Hoiberg, they missed out.
When a team with high expectations, like the Bulls had, misses the playoffs, changes will almost always be made. It has already been said that Fred Hoiberg's job is safe, so that means that changes are likely coming to the roster. The idea of a Jimmy Butler trade is the one that gets the most publicity, but there is no traction to that happening just yet. First, the Bulls have to decide what to do with some of their own players that will be free agents.
The two biggest free agents the Bulls will have this offseason are Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah. Throughout the majority of the year, the thought was that the Bulls would let Noah walk in free agency and try to re-sign Gasol after the season. That thought process seems to have changed, though, as there is reportedly a "strong internal desire" to retain Noah for next season.
Noah only played in 29 games this year before having his season end due to shoulder surgery, which was successful. Before the season-ending injury, Noah was coming off the bench and not playing nearly as big a role as he was used to before Hoiberg became coach. Because of that, and the depth that the Bulls have in their frontcourt, it seemed like they were ready to move on from him.
Now, though, it seems like they prefer to keep Noah over Gasol. Gasol has made it fairly clear that he doesn't want to return to the Bulls this offseason anyway because of how their season ended, but wanting to keep Noah over Gasol is a good idea for Chicago.
For one thing, Noah is much younger than Gasol, as he is 31 years old, while Gasol will turn 36 this summer. Another reason to keep Noah is that he is so beloved by the fans of the Bulls that letting him leave might turn the fan base against the team. Noah also does provide plenty on the court, including great rebounding and defense while also being the emotional leader. Yes, Gasol was an All-Star in his two seasons with the Bulls, but at some point, he will start to wear down and his production will dip. Noah is coming off a season-ending injury, but having his passion and energy on the team will likely not allow the team to play without urgency like they did at the end of this season.
