The Chicago Bulls currently have an overloaded situation in their front court. For the first time in his career, former All-NBA center Joakim Noah has been coming off the bench this season. With Pau Gasol, Nikola Mirotic, Taj Gibson and rookie Bobby Portis fighting for minutes, Noah has been seen as the most expendable piece.
As per hoopshabit.com, Noah is only averaging 3.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.
In addition, his contract makes him the most likely to be traded by the team.
As the report stated: "With his $13.4 million deal coming to a close and Pau Gasol hinting that he may be opting out of his contract this summer, the Bulls could certainly be thinking of a way to bring other talent on board."
"On top of that, there is an argument to be made that perhaps with Noah out of the way, more players such as rookie Bobby Portis, can get a chance to shine. At this point, there are no solid leads regarding where and how Noah could be traded. However, there are a handful of speculations," the report continued.
One of the highly rumored teams to acquire Noah is the Dallas Mavericks.
Based on a report by chicago sun times, Noah could be the first to be traded and his skill set could be a perfect fit for the Mavs.
"Joakim Noah is sitting there in the last year of his contract," NBA insider David Thorpe said. "I think his go-to would be Dallas, who's so desperate for that kind of energy again on defense. We know Rick Carlisle is so good at creating things and Joakim's such a great ball handler. I think he would be amazing there."
"A year ago he was the best center in the league," the report said. "You max those guys out. Here he is coming off the bench, he doesn't score."
Despite this, sources say that the Bulls were not interested in the Mavs' package of Zaza Pachulia, Justin Anderson and draft picks. However, the team has been rumored to be interested in the Raptors potential trade offer of Patrick Patterson, Terrence Ross and a 2016 draft pick. With this move, the Bulls could free up space in their big man rotation while attaining a young small forward in Ross.
