Chicago Bulls trade rumors as the NBA trade deadline approaches have been pretty frequent, but the team may not need to make a move after all. On Monday night (Jan. 28), Luol Deng returned to the starting lineup for the Bulls, putting the team very close to being at full strength for the first time this season. When starting point guard Derrick Rose comes back in February, this could be one of the teams to beat in the Eastern Conference.
Rumors of the team needing to improve at guard have been pushed down by some impressive play by Jimmy Butler. Though Butler returns to the bench with the return of Deng and primarily plays small forward, he has been averaging in double-figures scoring over the last five games. That includes 18 points and 9 rebounds against the Detroit Pistons on Jan. 23 and then 16 points and 12 rebounds against the Golden State Warriors on Jan. 25.
Moving forward, Richard Hamilton will likely remain the starting shooting guard to give the Bulls a veteran presence. When Rose returns, that will send Kirk Hinrich to the bench and create a second unit that could rival some of the best in the NBA at the moment. Being able to count on minutes from Butler, Hinrich, Nate Robinson, and Taj Gibson could give the Bulls a nine-man rotation perfectly suited for success.
It's possible that at times the Bulls could go with Rose, Deng, Butler, Joakim Noah, and Carlos Boozer on the court at the same time. That is a very talented group of players that most teams would have a hard time defending. Though there are likely to be interesting Chicago Bulls trade rumors surfacing over the next three weeks, the team might not need to make a move. At 26-17 so far this season, the only real question seems to be if the bulls can run down the Miami Heat and New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference standings.
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