The NBA trade rumors surface for a team that is clear on its intentions to improve and a team that's heading towards a new direction.
Coach Tom Thobodeau's "defense first" style of coaching has left with him, and the Chicago Bulls turns towards the offense with Fred Hoiberg.
Bulls fansite Pippen Ain't Easy recently listed the best and worst case scenarios for their players and for Joakim Noah, there were some dire some assumptions.
"Noah is getting older and losing that energy he used to always play with," they surmised. "He also doesn't seem to fit into the offensive direction the Bulls are moving in. The Bulls could trade him while he still has some value around the league."
Even with those findings, Noah would still be a desirable piece-if not for his energy, for his "defense first" mentality. If the Bulls were to look unfavorably towards his decline, there are some teams that would pick him up, and Bro Jackson names the Boston Celtics as a possible trade destination.
Trade proposal: "Joakim Noah for Isaiah Thomas, Kelly Olynyk, and James Young."
"There are some interesting trades that these two teams could make," the site presented. "Noah is a guy you could see Ainge taking a chance on. Only one season ago we were talking about him as an MVP candidate, and now the Bulls could be looking to move on."
While Isaiah Thomas seemed like their point guard of promise, Ainge would move him in a heartbeat if it meant that they would have a chance to acquire Joakim Noah. The Celtics have a lot of pieces at point guard (Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier, etc.) and power forward while the center spot is still questionable.
Noah would be a great mentor to the Celtics youth movement and also a solid selling point for possible free agents.