NBA Trade Rumors: Bulls Would Trade Taj Gibson to Create Space for Carmelo Anthony, Other Superstars

The Chicago Bulls might be willing to trade power forward Taj Gibson if there's a chance to land either incoming free agent small forward Carmelo Anthony or another All-Star caliber player, a source close to situation reported on Tuesday.

The Bulls are still fighting for a spot in the postseason despite losing Derrick Rose to another knee injury (torn MCL) and trading away All-Star small forward Luol Deng to the Cleveland Cavaliers in an attempt to save money.

With the Bulls' front office not lowering their expectations this season, many basketball insiders believe the ball club might pull off a significant deal to plug some holes in their roster before the Feb. 20 trade deadline.

The Golden State Warriors previously inquired about the availability of Kirk Hinrich, and the Houston Rockets have expressed their desire to trade for sweet-shooting small forward Mike Dunleavy. However, the most valuable trade chip the Bulls have is power forward Taj Gibson, who is having another remarkable season off the bench.

The 28-year-old Gibson averaged 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, despite playing as a backup for veteran bruiser Carlos Boozer. Many teams have already inquired about Gibson, but the Bulls have not shown interest in trading their budding big man.

ESPN Chicago NBA insider Nick Friedell agreed the Bulls won't make any deal involving Gibson because they value the young player highly. According to the analyst, the Bulls might only want to deal Gibson if they have a shot at landing an All-Star player.    

"I don't see any scenario in which the Bulls trade Gibson other than if they can land Melo or another star. The Bulls love Taj; the only reason they would move him is if they had to clear out enough cap space to sign a superstar. Taj is playing the best basketball of his career right now," said Friedell, when asked on ESPN Sports Nation about the possibility of trading the Bulls forward before the trade deadline.