Ben Gordon speaking with Chris Boussard of ESPN.com Friday, made it clear that he would not be returning to the Bulls next season.

“I guess it’s safe to say I’ve played my last game in a Bulls uniform,” Gordon said.

Gordon, who has led the Bulls in scoring the past three seasons, said his agent, Raymond Brothers, has been speaking with other teams about sign-and-trade possibilities.

“I’m pretty optimistic it’ll happen,” said Gordon, who averaged 18.6 points last season. “It’s very likely.”

Brothers refused to name the teams he’s spoken with, but added playing in Europe is also a possibility. He said the only certainty is Gordon will not sign the Bulls’ one-year qualifying offer of $6.4 million.

“It’s a numbers game,” he said. “Last season at the trade deadline, they brought in more guards and I saw my minutes drop and didn’t understand why. This year, the problem’s still the same. I don’t see it getting better, so maybe it’ll be a better situation for me personally somewhere else.”

“I’ve just got to wait and see what happens,” Gordon said. “It’s a tough time.”

Source: ESPN.com

The Miami Heat, New Orleans Hornets, and Phoenix Suns have all been linked to trade talks involving Gordon this summer.

Out of those three teams, Miami is Gordon’s most likely destination. Miami has a plethora of contracts expiring in 2009 and 2010 that would help accommodate a sign and trade. Phoenix could make a trade with Leandro Barbosa as the base. The Hornets can make a trade based around Mike James and Morris Peterson.

Bulls fans should brace themselves. This is probably going to be an ugly trade, with Andres Nocioni, or in the Bulls eyes, that massive contract, going with Gordon.

The San Antonio Spurs have also shown interest in Gordon, but like the Hornets, they don’t have the pieces to put together a trade that will be attractive for both teams.

The Knicks are a good potential trading partner. They possess Stephon Marbury’s large expiring contract, and Gordon has expressed interest in playing under D’Antoni. The Nuggets also are a good trading partner, who can easily accommodate a trade with their trade exception.

No matter how this finishes up, it is a sad day for the Bulls organization as they are proving once again that they are not committed to winning a championship.

Hornets Trade Speculation

This trade works out a little to nicely. The Bulls trade Ben Gordon (signed $69 million over 6 years) and Andres Nocioni for Morris Peterson, Julian Wright, and Mike James.

The trade allows the Bulls to dump Nocioni’s large contract, receive Julian Wright, a prospect they are reportedly high on, and allows for Ben Gordon to get the deal he is looking for. The trade would position the Hornets in a place where they would have enough firepower to win the championship next year. The Hornets also are in urgent need of another clutch scorer after losing Jannero Pargo to Moscow. Gordon would fit that role.