According to Sam Smith, the Utah Jazz might be willing to trade Carlos Boozer for Kirk Hinrich.

At All Star break I heard talk that the Jazz might be inclined to trade Carlos Boozer to the Bulls for Kirk Hinrich, a favorite of Jazz management. Boozer has an opt out after this season, so he could be a very short term rental. Of course, given his lack of play this season he could play one more season on his deal. The bigger issue is he’s missed with injury more than half the games the Jazz has played since he’s been there. And as for one of those wink, wink promises to resign, well, the Cavs thought they had one from Boozer before he signed with the Jazz. And Boozer supposedly made it when Jim Paxson, who is now on the Bulls staff, was running the Cavs.

I’d hope the Bulls wouldn’t consider that, though, like Stoudemire, he’d run a nice pick and roll with Rose. Still, I’d rather wait and see if Stoudemire is available this summer, or maybe even Lamar Odom. Other possibilities this summer are Hedo Turkoglu and Mehmet Okur.

I must say that Sam Smith is absolutely crazy in hoping that the Bulls wouldn’t consider this. This is an absolute grand slam of a deal for the Bulls.

When Carlos Boozer is healthy, he is a star. In the 12 games that he played this season, he’s averaged 20.5 PPG and 11.7 RPG. He’s averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds each of the past three seasons (including this one).

At the end of the day, Kirk Hinrich will be nothing more than a bench player for the Bulls. It is hard to imagine him being the Bulls starting shooting guard for years to come, even if Ben Gordon bolts in free agency.

There is absolutely no risk involved in this trade. If Boozer gets injured, at the very least, you have unloaded Kirk Hinrich’s 2010 unfriendly contract. If Boozer is healthy and bolts, same thing. But there is also the chance that Boozer stays healthy, re-signs with the Bulls, and makes them a better team. There is absolutely no risk involved with this deal, so if on the table, the Bulls should agree to it immediately.

This is the type of trade that even if the Bulls are able to swing a Chris Bosh or Amare Stoudemire deal, you have to do as well. Carlos Boozer is just that good of a talent.

If this trade is indeed on the table, I will be upset if the Bulls turn it down.

Similar Posts:

• Utah Radio Rumor: Boozer To Bulls
• ESPN: Boozer Talks Substantive
• ESPN: Bulls Want Bayless In Boozer Trade
• Rumor Press: Boozer Could Be Traded To the Bulls
• Breaking Down the 2009 Trade Deadline

Tags: Carlos Boozer, Chicago Bulls, Kirk Hinrich, Sam Smith, trade, Utah Jazz

This entry was posted on Monday, February 16th, 2009 at 11:19 pm and is filed under Rumors. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.