Former Chicago Bulls PF Taj Gibson has hit the free agent market at 41 years old.
Veteran power forward and former Chicago Bulls fan favorite Taj Gibson was a part of a trade on Tuesday morning.
The Memphis Grizzlies are sending AJ Johnson and Taj Gibson to the New Orleans Pelicans, with Jordan Hawkins, Micah Peavy, a future second-round pick and a future second-round pick swap going back to the Memphis Grizzlies.
AJ Johnson is an explosive athlete who has yet to find his footing. New Orleans will provide a low-stakes environment for Johnson to improve. Jordan Hawkins has had some intriguing flashes as a 3-point specialist, and will get an opportunity for some solid looks should he get to play with Cameron Boozer.
The most important part for the Bulls was the fact that it was reported shortly thereafter that Gibson would likely be waived by the Pelicans. Will Guillory reported that the Pelicans will still owe Gibson $100K.
Is there a world where it is mutually beneficial for the Bulls to bring Taj Gibson back to the team using their last roster spot? All angles point to the answer being a resounding yes.
The 41-year old Gibson is coming off a 10-game season with the Memphis Grizzlies in which he played 9.7 minutes per game, averaging 3.4 PPG and 2.7 RPG.
Gibson is long past being a major impact player on the court, but he could be just what this current Bulls locker room needs.
Gibson has 17 years of NBA basketball under his belt, including eight years with the Chicago Bulls, his longest stint with any team.
Gibson was a fan favorite in Chicago, in part because of recently deceased broadcaster Stacey King's "hard hat, lunch pail" phrase that he would used to describe Gibson's toughness on the court.
If Chicago was to bring aboard Gibson for the 2026-27 season, he would fill their last roster spot, likely at a minimum salary of $3.8 million. While he would certainly be able to provide 10-15 minutes as an emergency depth option in the frontcourt, any deal bringing him to Chicago would be for Gibson the person not the player.
Gibson has been a consummate professional over the course of his entire NBA career. He would be an excellent veteran voice in the locker room, and mentor for No. 4 overall pick Caleb Wilson.
Chicago's season will be almost exclusively decided by a group of players who are all under 25 years old in Josh Giddey, Matas Buzelis and the aforementioned Wilson. A Gibson-to-Chicago homecoming would provide a trusted veteran for those core players to turn to during the roughest stretches of a grueling and long NBA season.
