Chicago Bulls – Taj Gibson
For some reason (most likely wishful thinking by opposing teams), the Chicago Bulls’ best player, Jimmy Butler, has been popping up in trade rumors all over the place. I even got swept up in the speculation, giving the Jazz a green light to pursue Butler if he truly was available.
Although Chicago has struggled this season, I don’t believe that they’re ready to tank to the level where they would part ways with one of the budding two-way stars in the league. However, Chicago does have another player that I believe could fit quite well with the Jazz in Taj Gibson.
Gibson has been mentioned in trade scenarios for what seems like forever, yet he continues on with Chicago where he’s been his entire career. He’s started every game for the Bulls this season, but has consistently bounced between a starting spot and a bench role in nearly every season prior. Therefore, he could be mesh well with the Jazz coming off the bench.
However, he wouldn’t have to be limited to just that. Given the struggles of Derrick Favors this season, the Jazz could use a more dependable starting power forward as well, especially considering that Favors is logging a significant percentage of his minutes at the backup center spot behind Gobert.
Gibson’s season stats of 11.6 points and seven rebounds aren’t exactly overwhelming, but they are better than what Favors has done so far this season and one thing that can be said about Taj is that he has been reliably solid throughout his career. He plays hard and with an edge and is gritty on both ends of the floor.
Given Gibson’s consistency and potential fit in an area of need for the Jazz, this is one of my favorite trade targets for them to explore.
Honorable Mention – Jimmy Butler