Step-by-Step: A Chicago Bulls tanking guide

Taj Gibson is set free

Gibson has been a fantastic teammate and player while with the Bulls organization. In fact, it’s the only team he’s played for and been a part of. Despite getting the starting job pulled out from under him and spending years making less money and getting less playing time than he could have elsewhere, he’s done his job night after night.

Now, it’s time to let him go. Taj still has plenty of productivity in him. He’s a hard-working defender on a fairly inexpensive deal. Guys who can play strong defense and put up double-doubles on any given night can be a key addition for a contender.

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There aren’t a lot of teams that will be in the market for a player like Gibson this year. The very best teams in the league are either capped out with little to offer in return or would be giving Chicago too much.

It isn’t unheard of and there are options. If the Bulls are committed to falling out of the playoff race, the first step is to move Gibson. Last year they let Gasol and Noah walk without getting anything in return, they can’t afford to do that again with Taj.

One trade for Gibson that won’t please fans on the other side of the deal is with the Toronto Raptors. Hunter Kuffel wrote about this a week ago for Pippen Ain’t Easy. In his piece, he suggests that the Raptors make an ideal trade partner. The team needs something extra to push themselves into the conversation with the Cavs and Celtics. In exchange, the Bulls would take on Jared Sullinger and Norman Powell. His reasoning:

"“If giving up Norman Powell is what it takes to get a fighting chance against the Cavaliers, however, the Raptors would be foolish not to pull the trigger. The possibility of going to the NBA Finals doesn’t come around often. There’s no use stockpiling assets if you don’t push them to the center of the table at some point and go all in.”"

Raptors fans love Powell, and rightfully so, but that might just be the cost of them pushing to compete with Cleveland.

Another possibility is a team like Charlotte, a team that has struggled for quite some time after a great year in 2015-16 and a strong start to this season. The trade will come down to what they are willing to send back in return. A draft pick? Frank Kaminsky? There might not be much there that they can offer without giving up too much, but a push to improve their playoff standings might be worth it. Imagine Clifford with a Thibodeau disciple in the fold.

Wherever you send him, whatever you get in return, don’t let a free agent walk for free. And he will walk after patiently waiting for his time to come.