Chicago Bulls
This isn’t the first time we’ve floated the Taj Gibson idea here at Valley of the Suns (in fact, it’s not the second time either), and in the wake of Keef’s reported displeasure with the Suns, it makes as much sense as ever for Phoenix.
Chicago’s frontcourt is pretty crowded between Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol, the emerging Nikola Mirotic and rookie Bobby Portis. The Bulls also have Nazr Mohammed for depth and hell, even Doug McDermott might be able to log time as a small-ball 4. Gibson has been rumored to be on the trade block for some time now, so perhaps the Bulls would listen to an offer.
Bulls with the steal of the draft in Portis. Wouldn't surprise me to see Taj Gibson on the move now. Portis is ready to play now
— Brian Geltzeiler (@BGeltzNBA) June 26, 2015
Adding a guy like Markieff Morris to the Bulls’ roster does nothing to clear the frontcourt clutter, but it does give Chicago something they need more of: scoring. Keef is great when it comes to creating his own shot in the midrange and could spread the floor relatively well as a stretch-4.
He’s not a prolific three-point shooter, but new head coach Fred Hoiberg would find a way to make him effective in a more offensively inclined system. Keef would also have an opportunity to thrive coming off the bench — a role he might be better suited for considering his underwhelming rebounding.
From the Suns’ perspective, they’d be exchanging a 25-year-old with four years and $32 million left on his contract for a 30-year-old with two years and $17.4 million left on his deal. That 30-year-old also just so happens to be coming off a left ankle surgery.
But Gibson has been due for a starting job for years now and if anyone can keep him healthy, it’s the Suns’ warlock training staff. Between Eric Bledsoe, P.J. Tucker and Tyson Chandler, Phoenix already has the foundation for a much improved defense. Inserting Gibson into the starting five could make it potentially elite on that end.
Next: Trade Scenario 2
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