NBA Rumors: Chicago Bulls Lure Harrison Barnes with Max Contract; Jimmy Butler, Joakim Noah Welcome Ex Warriors

Jun 27, 2016 09:40 AM EDT

The Chicago Bulls are said to be on the verge of losing its core players this offseason. Starting off with the shocking Derrick Rose trade to the New York Knicks, fans believe that Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson will be out of the NBA team soon. While Jimmy Butler appears to be the only Chicago Bulls star with a secured slot in the basketball team, the front office reportedly does not want their supporters to worry. If reports are to be believed, then a free agent with an NBA championship experience will soon enter the Chicago Bulls roster.

Harrison Barnes of the Golden State Warriors has been widely reported to be soon booted out of the Stephen Curry roster. Apart from his performance in the NBA Finals, the skyrocketing increase of the salary cap in the league will be a huge consideration for the Klay Thompson squad.

"Over the last three games of the NBA Finals, Harrison Barnes hit just 5/32 of his shots. That's 16 percent. That's unbelievably bad," pointed out Kevin Jones of KNBR Studios.

Jones further noted, "When the Warriors retool their roster, they obviously need to evaluate whether they can let Barnes disrupt another championship dream. A safe bet is that GM Bob Myers is ready to move on. It might take some convincing with Steve Kerr, who rode with Barnes until the bitter end."

While the news has yet to be officially confirmed by the Golden State Warriors and Harrison Barnes himself, there are speculations that the Chicago Bulls are interested in the small forward. With the departure of Derrick Rose from the Nikola Mirotic team, a new set of core stars are targetted by the Chicago Bulls. Given the playing style and attitude of Barnes, he may be a good fit to complement star player Jimmy Butler.

Although Barnes failed to fully benefit from the strategies of the Golden State Warriors, rumors are rife that his style will be more fitting in the Fred Hoiberg system. Moreover, the Chicago Bulls can represent a fresh start to the player who had been sidelined for most of the 2015-16 NBA season. Should Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol and Taj Gibson truly get out of the former Michael Jordan team this offseason, then Harrison Barnes basically secures a starter role if he goes to Chicago.

At the moment though, nothing is set. For Harrison Barnes, the only certain basketball-related concern for him is his participation in the 2016 Olympics in Rio. The Golden State Warriors star accepted the invite to play for the US National Team. Barnes will then be playing alongside other NBA stars such as Kevin Durant, DeMarcus Cousins, DeAndre Jordan and Paul George. He will also be with possible future Chicago Bulls teammate Jimmy Butler.