According to two league sources, the Bulls and Toronto Raptors engaged in trade talks involving Carlos Boozer and Andrea Bargnani.
ESPN.com’s Marc Stein first reported the talks, which were initiated by the Bulls, but were dismissed by Toronto because of their desire to land Los Angeles Lakers’ power forward Pau Gasol.
Gasol will be out at least six weeks with a partially torn plantar fascia in his right foot, ending any hope of a potential deal that lands the All-Star Spaniard.
Talks between the Bulls and Raptors aren’t currently active, but the move is expected to be available for the Raptors and would have to include smaller salaries to match as Boozer makes makes $5 million more than Bargnani this season and $9.1 million more the next two seasons.
Toronto recently added Rudy Gay and he has two years and over $37 remaining on his contract and it would appear unlikely that they would be willing to take on Boozer’s salary.
Bargnani is having one of the worst seasons of his career, shooting just 40 percent from the field and 30 percent from three-point range and has drawn the ire of both management and the Toronto fan base alike.
Most expect Boozer to be amnestied this summer, but there has been no indication that he will be. While, it would improve the Bulls’ future finances, the power forward is coming off a January in which he averaged 19.5 points and 10 rebounds.
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