Chicago Bulls Must Avoid Pau Gasol

The NBA has yet to crown a champion, but that hasn’t stopped trade rumors from running rampant. The latest domino to fall is none other than the recently eliminated Lakers forward Pau Gasol.

With Los Angeles set to explore any and all trade options to build a better team around Kobe Bryant, a report surfaced stating that Gasol would like to play for the Bulls.

From Sam Smith of Bulls.com:

The interesting part, according to Lakers’ insiders, is Gasol would like to play for the Bulls. And what you hardly need any sources for is to see how he and Bryant basically can’t stand one another. It was no secret around L.A. what all those post series comments were about. “We got to be committed to each other,” said Ron Artest. “This year we wasn’t as committed collectively, and that hurt us a lot.” Said Bynum: “We just weren’t doing it together.”

Are you surprised? Because you shouldn’t be.

It’s no secret that the Lakers are looking to make changes and it’s also no secret that Gasol has been underwhelming, at best, over the past year. His stat lines have fluctuated, he’s been unable to establish any consistent flow on either end of the floor and he’s barely clinging on to his star-status.

So, maybe it is time for Gasol to opt for a change of scenery. Maybe that’s what is best for both he and the Lakers organization, kind of like the Lamar Odom saga 2.0.

But is Gasol relocating to Chicago what’s best for the Bulls?

Derrick Rose endorsed a pursuit of Gasol earlier this year, but nothing came to fruition. And that may have been a blessing in disguise.

Though Gasol is a prolific double-double threat on any given night, he’s almost 32, and his numbers aren’t that much different than Carlos Boozer’s. The Bulls could definitely use a polarizing fixture within their rotation while Rose is rehabbing a torn ACL, but Gasol is no more polarizing than Boozer.

And that’s saying something, because not only is Gasol more expensive in the short term, but the Lakers are not about to trade him straight up for Boozer. It would take a combination of Deng and another player to get the deal to go through, a scenario that’s not worth pursuing if your the Bulls.

Gasol is still an adept big man. He navigates the floor with ease, can score from virtually anywhere on the court and is an especially deft passer for someone his size. But he’s no longer someone you build your team around. He’s a complimentary piece at best.

And while Chicago would welcome a “role player” of his stature, a star-caliber price is what will have to paid to obtain him. That’s a tag the Bulls can simply not be amenable to.

Hope may be wavering within Chicago at the prospect of going an entire season without Rose, but there’s damage control and then there’s unfounded desperation. To bring in Gasol, the Bulls would be in acceptance of the latter.