The Chicago Bulls could make a roster shakeup in the offseason, but Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson will likely stay put contrary to rumors suggesting that the Bulls will listen to offers for both players.
Bulls insider Nick Friedell said in his latest chat session that the Bulls have no plans to trade Rose despite being sidelined for the majority of the last two seasons due to knee injuries.
Friedell noted that he thinks Rose will be in Chicago for at least three more years before the Bulls consider trading him if an irresistible trade offers comes along.
"The Bulls are not going to trade Derrick Rose. It's not going to happen," Friedell said. "Even if they wanted to, no team would give the Bulls anything close to market value for Rose because of all his injury concerns. The Bulls are married to Derrick for at least three more years. He's not going anywhere."
When asked if he thinks Rose can regain his old form coming off two straight major knee surgeries, Friedell said that Rose will be able to play at a high level, but he is unsure how long can the former Most Valuable Player remain healthy.
"I still think Rose will get back to being one of the best players in the league. He still has plenty of talent," Friedell noted. "The question is the same, though. Will he be able to stay healthy throughout an entire 82-game season? It's an answer nobody knows. But I do think when he's on the floor, he will be able to still play at a very high level."
And as for Gibson, Friedell is convinced that the 28-year-old power forward is part of the Bulls' future, considering the way he is playing this season.
The fifth-year forward is having a breakout season, averaging 13.4 points to go along with 6.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game, and has seen his minutes shoot up from 22.4 last year to 29.1 this season.
According to Friedell, Gibson will be a Bull for the next several years, unless the Bulls will be forced to give him up in a trade for a superstar like Carmelo Anthony this summer.
"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," Friedell stressed.
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