ESPN’s NBA reporters are some of the best in the business, but even they tend to throw stuff at the wall to see if it sticks. It turns out the three-team trade involving the Chicago Bulls, Utah Jazz, and Portland Trail Blazers, which was reported yesterday by Marc Stein and Chad Ford, was nothing more than some fodder for the wall.
The rumored deal would have sent Jazz forward Carlos Boozer to the Bulls, Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich to the Blazers, and Bulls forward Tyrus Thomas to the Jazz with other players or draft picks being thrown in as well.
However, ESPN The Magazine writer Chris Broussard decided to delve into the story a little more. After talking with Blazers General Manager Kevin Pitchard, Broussard quoted Pritchard as saying the deal was “not going to happen.” Yahoo! Sports also reported the deal was false.
To cool trade talks even more, the Blazers extended an offer sheet to Paul Millsap for a reported four-year deal worth anywhere from $32-$36 million. The reason the Jazz were thinking about moving Boozer was so they could re-sign Millsap without pushing up toward the luxury-tax line. But, the offer sheet to Millsap would seem to take the Blazers out of any potential trade talks. This means the Jazz have to find a new way to unload Boozer just to match the Blazers’ offer to Millsap.
Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro also did not seem very impressed by the trade rumors either. Afterall, losing Hinrich after former Bulls guard Ben Gordon just walked to the Detroit Pistons would mean a decimated backcourt for the 2009-10 season.
“…with the loss of Ben [Gordon], [Hinrich will be] playing more minutes and more involved,” Del Negro told Brian Hanley of the Chicago Sun-times. “He made such a huge impact for us with his leadership on and off the court. He’s our best perimeter defender for sure, best defender overall, which is a huge factor. He has the versatility to help a young point guard develop. He also plays the two. He guarded a lot of guys. He’s a big positive for us. I expect him to have a great year.”
Seeing as general managers and coaches like to hold things close to the vest, there is a very small chance this trade still might be in the preliminary stages. More on the story if talks heat up again.
