The Bernstein Brief: Make A Deal, Bulls
By Dan Bernstein--
CBSChicago.com senior columnist
(CBS) With a roster badly in need of remodeling, the Bulls need to take advantage of any instability in the market when they can find it.
Every NBA team is soon to be flush with salary cap space, and some former also-rans are starting to dream bigger dreams that may include calls about Jimmy Butler, an established second-tier star with a two-way game whose max deal doesn't look so max in the new environment. The Bulls owe it to themselves to actively explore options that can stimulate growth of some kind.
The latest reports have both the Celtics and Timberwolves interested in Butler, and the 76ers letting it be known that troubled 20-year-old center Jahlil Okafor could be available. These are all discussions worth having.
As currently constructed, the Bulls have no chance to be much of anything in the short term, and projecting them further into the future produces little optimism. It's not a good place to be.
Any infusion of young talent or high picks that could bring young talent in would be welcome for a moribund operation with confusion and discord at every level. Nobody who has watched the Bulls closely can make a case against the upside bet on at least one major move.
Dan Bernstein is a co-host of 670 The Score's "Boers and Bernstein Show" in afternoon drive. You can follow him on Twitter @dan_bernstein and read more of his columns here.