Feb. 19--The Bulls made a trade Thursday. It wasn't Pau Gasol.
Just before the 2 p.m. deadline, the Bulls agreed in principle to trade Kirk Hinrich to the Atlanta Hawks for a future second-round pick, a league source said.
In the deal, which is a three-team trade that includes the Jazz, the Bulls will get shooting guard Justin Holiday from the Hawks.
The move trims the Bulls' luxury-tax bill by close to $2.9 million, leaving them just $1.6 million over the tax. It also opens a roster spot for the Bulls to peruse the buyout pool next month.
Still, plenty of fan sentiment existed for the Bulls to move Gasol, who has said he will use his player option to become a free agent this summer. Speaking at the morning shootaround, a relaxed Gasol called his chances of being traded "improbable" and said the Bulls are "for sure" in the lead to re-sign him this summer in free agency.
The Bulls held talks with numerous teams regarding Gasol. They turned down at least two offers, a league source said. One deal first reported by Yahoo Sports and later confirmed involved Tony Snell joining the veteran center in Sacramento in exchange for Kosta Koufos, Ben McLemore and looser protection on a potential first-round pick the Kings owe the Bulls.
"There are really no guarantees in this business. And it is a business at the end of the day, particularly when a team is struggling and things are not going the way people expected them to," Gasol said. "I think it's improbable that anything will happen. But it's fun to talk about it, isn't it?"
Gasol said he talked to Bulls' management on Wednesday and also can have conversations with ownership if need be. He made clear his desire to remain with the Bulls both this season and beyond. But he was more passionate in his commitment to this season.
"This is where I wanted to be and where I want to be right now. I don't want to give up on this team just because we're going through some difficulties and challenges right now," Gasol said. "Things really haven't turned out the way I wanted them to. But at the same time, there are things that I couldn't anticipate. All I can do is continue to give my best. And I do still believe we can still turn this thing around a little bit or a lot and put ourselves in a good position.
"Whatever happens this summer, I don't know. Then it will be more of a process of evaluation wherever I am to make the best decision for the last few years of my career. I'd like to (re-sign). I'm happy here. I like a lot of things about my situation here. Now let's see if we can make the basketball better. That would be ideal. If we can fix that, it's obviously something I would want to continue to be a part of."
The Bulls asked for an immediate impact rotation player and first-round pick in all trade discussions, a source said. With Jimmy Butler and Nikola Mirotic scheduled to return at some point this season, making the playoffs remains a priority. So dealing Gasol just to deal him wasn't an option for a team that also plans to try to re-sign him in free agency.
Gasol had pointed questions about Tom Thibodeau's coaching style before signing with the Bulls on a value contract in July 2014. Gasol grew to appreciate Thibodeau greatly and led the NBA in double-doubles last season.
Gasol posted his second straight All-Star season with the Bulls as Jimmy Butler's injury replacement in last weekend's All-Star game. Asked what impact playing for a coaching staff different than the one he signed with will have on this summer's decision, Gasol didn't hesitate.
"The coaching position is an important position. I've played for many coaches, I've been through many coaching changes throughout my career, and I knew this season was going to be a little of a transition, adjusting to the new philosophy, which is pretty different from what we had last year," Gasol said. "So that was going to have an impact, but I couldn't control that impact. So you have to keep that in mind, but I don't think that will be a downside or a negative in this situation."
Gasol did say how the Bulls fare over the final 30 games will play a factor in his free agency decision.
Talk on deals involving Taj Gibson quieted as of Thursday morning. But the Bulls continued to shop Tony Snell along with no takers.
The Bulls face the Cavaliers on Thursday night without Joakim Noah, Jimmy Butler and Nikola Mirotic.
