Chicago Bulls Trade Rumors: Team At A Crossroads As NBA Deadline Approaches

Chicago Bulls trade rumors reveal some interesting information about the team and its front office. As the NBA trade deadline gets even closer, management is admitting that the team is at a crossroads. A report by NBA analyst Steve Kyler states that nothing has gone according to plan after the team decided to deal Derrick Rose to the New York Knicks.

Back when Rose got traded, management made a promise that the Bulls weren’t heading into a rebuilding phase. The team signed Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo during the NBA offseason and many analysts felt that the team could be competitive again. While competitive is a good word to describe the 2016-17 NBA season for the Bulls, fans wouldn’t use the word successful.

In the latest NBA standings, the Bulls reside as the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference. The team has posted a 24-25 record and is actually in a good position to make the 2017 NBA Playoffs. But is that a good enough result for the year? As it stands, the Bulls would get a first-round playoff series with the Boston Celtics.

There are going to be roughly three more weeks of Chicago Bulls trade rumors, as the deadline for deals hits on February 23. That gives the front office a lot of time to debate about the next step for the franchise and if a complete rebuild is necessary. If they reach the conclusion that changes are necessary, Jimmy Butler, Dwyane Wade, Rajon Rondo, and Taj Gibson could all be traded.

So will these Chicago Bulls trade rumors actually lead to a deal before February 23? The team has assets that other teams would like, possibly giving the Bulls an opportunity to acquire several first-round draft picks. The 2017 NBA Draft is thought to be packed with young talent, especially at the point guard position. It could be easy for a team to really kickstart a rebuilding effort by selecting multiple players in the top 10 picks.

Dwyane Wade ($23.2 million) and Taj Gibson ($8.95 million) are each in the final year of their current contracts. Rajon Rondo makes about $14 million this year and then about $13.4 million next season, requiring another team to take on a larger salary. As for Jimmy Butler, he has two more guaranteed seasons of roughly $18.7 million and $19.9 million before a player option for the 2019-20 NBA season. It means that Butler comes with a lot of team control.

If there was a situation where the Bulls’ front office was able to start making trades without admitting that the current roster construction was a complete failure, then deals may have already started taking place. With the possibility that jobs are on the line and severe repercussions if the Bulls start losing too many games, it is a very tricky situation to maneuver through. If they are unable to find any middle ground, the team may just continue running in place.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade went after their teammates in recent postgame interviews. They were not pleased that other players were taking critical shots and didn’t hold back when it came to discussing the effort of their teammates. The negativity didn’t pay off, as the Bulls would then lose to the Miami Heat in their next game. The leading scorer in that game was Wade with just 15 points.

Now there are three distinct paths that the front office in Chicago can take. Management can keep the roster the same, deal off pieces and continue building around Jimmy Butler, or completely tear down the roster and enter a full rebuilding phase. Time is running out to make that decision, suggesting that fans are going to have to endure Chicago Bulls trade rumors right up until that deadline hits on February 23.

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