Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson is one of the team's best assets. Basketball Insiders' Yannis Koutroupis still sees Gibson as a possible candidate to be moved before the February deadline, possibly for a player like Minnesota Timberwolves guard Kevin Martin.
Gibson proved last season he's a starting-caliber forward, but he's unlikely to see much playing time behind newcomer Pau Gasol. That leaves Chicago with a tradable asset coming off the bench when they need help on the perimeter. At least one report last month indicated Gibson could be on the move, something Koutroupis still believes is in the best interest of the team.
"I think that it's time to move Taj Gibson to get some more fire power out on the wing, where I feel they're lacking, around Derrick Rose," Koutroupis wrote Thursday. "His value around the league is greater than it is for the Bulls right now. Kevin Martin would work this year, but he's 31 and has three years left on his deal at about $7 million per. It's a bad long-term move for the Bulls, especially considering his lackluster defensive abilities, lack of playoff experience and injury history - although in his defense he's missed very little time the last two seasons.
"I'd really like to see Avery Bradley on the Bulls, although I'm not sure how much interest the Celtics would have in Gibson. They can afford to lose Bradley, though."
Three things to think about, if your Chicago's front office: 1) Gibson wants to start but is going to be struggling for playing time in a frontcourt with Gasol, Nikola Mirotic and Joakim Noah, 2) Gibson is going to cost the team more than $25 million over the next three seasons before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2017, and 3) the team really needs a consistent scorer who can stretch defenses.
Chicago is unlikely to trade Gibson before December, giving them time to see how their frontcourt rotation works and whether they can truly do without Gibson. If the team does decide to move him, there would certainly be a market for him.
