Why Trading for Dwight Howard This Offseason Makes Too Much Sense for the Chicago Bulls

Dwight Howard is whining again and the Bulls should answer his cry: He wants out of Orlando (unsurprisingly) and should be available this summer as the franchise can no longer be held hostage.

Of course this story line was stale by midseason of 2011-2012, but it won’t go away until Howard finds a new home—much the way Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul needed to be exported.

All season, I wondered if the Bulls could broker the trade, but it seemed Howard himself didn’t want to be in Chicago because it’s clear he wouldn’t be the alpha in a town that often throws bouquets at a man they call Rose.

But a lot has changed since Derrick Rose went down with an ACL tear. The window for a championship for this roster may have been shut and there’s a strong possibility Rose doesn’t even play next season. So what’s the point if you have no shot creators, right? No real star.

By swapping Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, Ronnie Brewer and the rights to the Charlotte Bobcats pick for Howard and the retired Hedu Turkoglu (and still one of the stinkiest-looking men in the NBA), the Bulls get one of the best player in the game at the most important position.

More importantly, they anchor their defense around a guy that eats space and can make up for whatever point guard the Bulls nab to replace Rose for next season. While, this doesn’t ensure a championship with the hopes that Rose returns, the logic is simple: Maybe they can persuade to stay in the offseason if things go right.

And Tom Thibodeau’s brief history  with the Bulls says it would.

Most importantly: If Howard still isn’t into the Bulls (kind of like dating the girlfriend up until the last month of your senior year in high school), he frees up a ton of cap room for the Bulls if he decides to walk and super free agents like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant will be available again in that summer, if neither have won a title by then.

The Bulls can even amnesty Carlos Boozer in that final year to save face and clear more room for Derrick Rose’s team.

This makes too much damn sense.

It’s both an attempt to build a roster or rebuild it, and either way, you have to do it, because Rose’s injury gives you no choice.

Contact Mike Mitchell at michaelkennethmitchell@gmail.com.