Bulls pass on trade, but buyouts loom
The Bulls were anxious to acquire an upgraded shooting guard or extra defender before the NBA trade deadline struck on Thursday afternoon, but obviously not too anxious.
It appears the Bulls did not make a move, despite plenty of talks and a flurry of activity around the league.
The next step is to wait and see which players accept contract buyouts. Players released by their current teams before March 1 are eligible to join a new team for the playoffs.
The Bulls talked about the usual suspects — Houston's Courtney Lee, Memphis' O.J. Mayo, Phoenix's Gerald Dudley, Cleveland's Anthony Parker.
The Rockets wanted a big man and the Bulls refused to part with rookie Omer Asik. Houston reportedly acquired center Hasheem Thabeet from Memphis for Shane Battier before the deadline.
Mayo is also reportedly going to Indiana for Josh McRoberts and a first-round pick, though there was talk that deal might have missed the deadline. The Bulls were never convinced Mayo, the third pick of the 2008 draft, would be a good fit next to Derrick Rose. The feeling is Rose would be better next to a strong outside shooter.
New York offered swingman Corey Brewer, Joakim Noah's best friend in college, but the Bulls felt they were in better shape already with Ronnie Brewer.
The biggest surprise on deadline day was a Boston-Oklahoma City swap. The Celtics reportedly sent center Kendrick Perkins and guard Nate Robinson to the Thunder for forward Jeff Green and center Nenad Krstic.
Other reported trades had Houston point guard Aaron Brooks going to Phoenix for Goran Dragic, and Charlotte small forward Gerald Wallace to Portland for draft picks.
After sending James Johnson to Toronto this week, the Bulls have roughly $3 million under the cap to spend on free agents.
Which players might come available? There has been talk of center Troy Murphy. Parker could conceivably leave Cleveland. The Bulls will keep a close eye on Detroit to see if Tayshaun Prince or Richard Hamilton are set free.
Hamilton has another year left on his contract, which makes a buyout less likely. Prince is on an expiring deal.