Since I'm already a little tired of hearing about VDN vs. Pax, I thought I'd share an offseason trade thought I've had rolling around in my head for a while.  Go easy on me, I'm new at this...

Hypothetically, one of the most realistic scenarios for 2010 free agency is:

1)LBJ stays with Cavs
2)Bosh dances with potential suitors, Miami and Chicago, chooses Miami because Wade tells him
3)Wade then stays with Heat

Let's step out onto that proverbial limb and say it actually happens.  The Bulls seemingly are left with backup plans, but I think they still have better options short of throwing max money at non-max free agents.

Phoenix doesn't believe Amare is worth max dollars and I think neither do the Bulls.  Boozer, Joe Johnson and David Lee, asking for the max as well, probably don't find any takers until the Knicks or Nets get desperate.

Enter Al Jefferson:

Bulls trade Luol Deng, Taj Gibson & our first rounder (or James Johnson if the T-wolves are tired of drafting) for Al Jefferson who now plays the same position (with similar production) as Kevin Love.  Minnesota has hinted at the fact that Love's their future. 

David Kahn has had interest in Deng before and the T-wolves badly need to diversify their portfolio if they want to climb out of the cellar.  The T-wolves get a SF they've had their eye on & a very promising, cheaper piece with Taj to backup Love.

Now Jefferson, listed as a center, probably has always belonged at the power forward position.  At 6-10 & 265, he finally gives us that low post beast.  Noah and Jefferson would dominate the boards.  The balanced attack takes a little pressure off all those jumpshots having to go down.  His athleticism and flash may not be like Bosh or Amare, but he's solid defensively and can back anybody in and get those easy points.  Bulls fans haven't witnessed anything like that for what seems like millenia.

Most importantly however, Big Al is only 25 years old and under contract until 2014 at about 13 million/year.  He hasn't worked with a decent point guard in his entire career (In his time with Boston, Rondo wasn't a contributor yet).  Big Al at two-thirds the price of a max Boozer or Lee or even Amare is money very very well spent.

We still haven't spent a cent of the 2010 free agency dollars so see how much Joe Johnson is worth and spend wisely.  I think if you can get him for a couple million/year shy of max dollars and convince him he'd win more in Chicago than ATL or the Knicks or whoever, it'd be a coup.  Hopefully the bidding war doesn't escalate too quickly.

Admittedly, the Bulls would be thin at the 3 and it wouldn't leave much in terms of depth, but it's still one hell of a starting lineup if Bosh does decide to go elsewhere.

PG- Rose / Hinrich / resign Acie Law at league min

SG- Joe Johnson / Hinrich

SF- James Johnson / cheap vet to push JJ / Kurz

PF- Al Jefferson / resign Warrick

C-- Noah / Asik

Of course, should LBJ or Wade miraculously come to Chicago, the Big Al trade becomes even more of a no-brainer since we could afford Big Al + 1 superstar at SG or SF; it'd also diminish Hinrich's or Deng's role enough to want to include them in some sort of a deal.