Rumors have emerged that the Chicago Bulls are planning to trade Derrick Rose in the offseason as team officials are concerned that he will leave the Bulls next summer and they are also keen on anointing Jimmy Butler as its new team leader moving forward.
A lot of speculations are surrounding Fred Hoiberg's crew this season as the team had failed to get back from their lofty perch of being a perennial playoffs contender in the "weaker" Eastern Conference.
After finishing the regular season at the third spot with a 50-32 record in 2014-2015, the Bulls are currently at ninth place with a 30-29 slate under Hoiberg's first year of leadership. It is something that could trigger concern from team officials as they may want to overhaul the roster to fare better next season.
Big men Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah are both set to become unrestricted free agents this summer and it seems that only one of them will remain as a Bull next season. Butler remains a consistent force for the squad even with its current turmoil and Rose is his usual injury-prone self.
Morning News USA noted that "Rose's career went downhill after he became the youngest to win the MVP award in 2011" mainly because of the numerous injuries he had suffered that forced him to be sidelined for extended periods of time.
The Bulls have actually fared well even without him with then head coach Tom Thibodeau so team officials are aware they can still do it especially now with Butler around.
Trading him away this summer is not an impossibility as both Rose and the Bulls could actually benefit from the separation.
If a deal pushes through, Chicago can move on and focus on Butler as the team's main man, building their roster around him, while Rose will be able to redeem himself and have a fresh start with another squad.
Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler mentioned in a Q&A article that he would not be surprised "if the Bulls explore Derrick Rose's trade value" this offseason because he believes that the Bulls are anticipating the former league MVP to leave them next summer.
"I think once teams miss on free agents the Bulls could get real value out of Rose. I think both Derrick and the Bulls need a change of scenery. I don't think Derrick will ever live up to the expectation or broken expectations some in Chicago have for him," Kyler said.