NBA Trade Rumors 2014 Update: Golden State Warriors Looking To Acquire Kirk Hinrich From Chicago Bulls
The Golden State Warriors reportedly expressed strong interest in acquiring veteran point guard Kirk Hinrich from the Chicago Bulls.
USA Today Sports reported that the Warriors are aggressively shopping for a backup point guard and Hinrich is on top of their list.
The Bulls have made it clear that they are ready to become sellers before the trade deadline after dealing one of their cornerstones for the past several years. The Bulls sent All-Star forward Luol Deng to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for future picks and Andrew Bynum, who was waived by Chicago on Tuesday.
Sources said that the Warriors have been showing interest in Hinrich even before Deng was dealt by the Bulls.
"According to a person with knowledge of the situation, the Golden State Warriors are among teams that had been showing serious interest in Hinrich long before the Deng trade," USA Today reported.
The Warriors are currently fourth in the Western Conference with their 24-13 record, but they have been looking for backcourt help in the past few weeks.
Aside from Hinrich, the Warriors are also interested in veteran playmakers Andre Miller of the Denver Nuggets and Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors.
Stephen Curry has been playing sensational this season, but the Warriors want to keep him fresh for their playoff push later in the season. Curry is usually backed up by small forward Andre Iguodala and Toney Douglas to fill in the role left by Jarrett Jack, who signed with the Cavaliers last offseason.
The Bulls are currently in rebuilding mode, but it is still unclear how coach Tom Thibodeau's reaction to the Deng trade will affect the moves to be made by Chicago before the deadline.
ESPN reported that Thibodeau was upset after the Bulls made the Deng deal official, with reports saying that the veteran forward has been one of Thibodeau's favorite players since he arrived in Chicago.
But while Thibodeau was disappointed with the moves that the Bulls recently made, Bulls vice president John Paxson sounded as if they are still ready to make moves before the deadline.
"And we know what he's facing. We're not sitting up here saying be happy about it. It's hard. It's difficult," Paxson said on Thibodeau's reaction after the trade. "But what has to happen within an organization is that when decisions are made, that as a group you have to align together, and you have to move forward. And our focus now has to be on how best to take advantage of what we've just done."