The trade deadline has come and gone, and the Bulls are hedging their bets with their current lineup. There was, however, no shortage of trade rumors surrounding the team throughout the past few weeks. Below we break down several of the trades that almost happened.
Luol Deng and a draft pick for Memphis Grizzlies’ Pau Gasol
Why it would’ve been a good move
Sure it’s a safe and easy choice, but Gasol would have added desperately needed height and experience to a young, relatively small team, helping to propel them past the first round of the playoffs.
Why they didn’t pull the trigger
One word: Beardsweat. Wait, that doesn’t look right. Let’s try it with a hyphen: Beard-sweat. That’s better. And gross.
Luol Deng for the Kings’ Shareef Abdur-Rahim’s
Why it would have been a good move
Similar to Gasol, Abdur-Rahim adds much needed height and experience.
Why they didn’t pull the trigger
He’s a poor man’s Gasol. Scores half as much and costs twice as much. If general manager John Paxson didn’t have the stones to get Gasol, he sure as crap wasn’t going to absorb a ridiculously huge contract like Abdur-Rahim’s just to add size.
Every member of the Bulls for every member of the Suns
Why it would’ve been a good move
The Suns are one of the NBA’s top teams and much better than the Bulls at practically every position. With a move like this, the Bulls (formerly the Suns) would have been poised to make the Finals.
Why they didn’t pull the trigger
The logistics and paperwork behind this one were just staggering. The lawyer fees alone would’ve bankrupted both teams.
Tyrus Thomas for a subscription to Men’s Health
Why it would’ve been a good move
Thomas’ bad attitude has the potential to affect the team negatively down the stretch. A subscription to Men’s Health, on the other hand, would provide the team with useful tidbits and whatnot relating to their health, finances, sex lives and careers. Not too shabby.
Why they didn’t pull the trigger
The Bulls were ready to go on this one, but the Men’s Health publisher wouldn’t provide more than a three-month paid trial in exchange for Thomas. After much thought and deliberation, Paxson decided that a three-month paid trial wasn’t that great of a deal.
PJ Brown for The Heckler beat writer Justin Allen
Why it would’ve been a good move
The Heckler was all too willing to replace Allen with Brown, and Allen’s behind-the-back passing skills and ability to “dish the rock” would’ve added an element of surprise to the Bulls backcourt and feed the ball down low.
Why they didn’t pull the trigger
Allen’s overall bad attitude toward “hard work and stuff” essentially killed this deal. And his tendency to curse at women and children didn’t help much either.
