Taj Gibson has been the odd man in the Chicago Bulls roster, especially with a lot of forwards around. And now, with word that the usual sixth man off the bench has recently undergone foot surgery, according to a report by Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports, his future remains uncertain.
It remains to be seen if he will continue to don the Bulls' colors or eventually end up being traded to another team. The scenario is, of course, with reference to his salary. Gibson is set to receive $8.5 million for the coming season and $8.95 million for the 2016–17 season before becoming an unrestricted free agent.
Seeing that the Bulls has just offered Jimmy Butler a pretty rich contract, trading Gibson is something that many believe can somehow ease the burden that the Bulls have as far as the team salary budget is concerned.
Gibson saw his playing time eaten up immensely, especially with the arrival of Spaniard Pau Gasol last season. Additionally, there was the move to give Nikola Mirotić more playing time, which placed Gibson on the bench more often.
And now, the Bulls have added another forward to the mix in Bobby Portis. This all the more crowds the options of the Bulls at the forward position and coming off surgery is certainly something that doesn't help Gibson's standing.
Then there is the question of whether or not Gibson fits in with the system that new head coach Fred Hoiberg plans to implement. With Gibson out perhaps until the pre-season, one has to wonder if there would be enough time for him to adapt to the new system the Bulls plan to use for the coming season.
For now, don't expect any word of a trade, especially since Gibson is on the mend. Trade talks are bound to continue once he is up and about, so there remains a chance that he may still be donning the Bulls jersey in the coming season. However, from the looks of it, Gibson could likely end up playing for another team in the 2015–16 NBA season.
