Nick Friedell, ESPN Staff Writer 10y

Bulls still exploring marriage with Love

CHICAGO -- Gar Forman has a mantra he lives by on a day-to-day basis: He's always looking to improve the club. The basketball lifer delivers that message all the time when questions about roster construction are asked.

That's why it should come as no surprise that the Bulls are still kicking the tires regarding a Kevin Love deal, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein and Brian Windhorst. Love is a star player and would make any team he lands on better.

But now that the Bulls' roster has been filled with the likes of Pau Gasol, Nikola Mirotic, Doug McDermott and Aaron Brooks, among others, the bigger question for Forman is whether the Bulls would have to give up too much of their depth to land Love.

For several years, the feeling around the league was that if the Bulls were serious about acquiring Love, it would likely cost them a combination of Jimmy Butler, Taj Gibson, Mirotic and some future first-round picks. That speculation will only ramp up again after the latest report, especially with the Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly offering No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins and Golden State still possibly adding Klay Thompson in a deal to pick up Love.

With the rest of the Bulls' roster in place -- the signings of Brooks and McDermott became official Tuesday -- the truth is that a Love addition would decimate the depth they have acquired in the past few weeks. If Gibson, Butler and Mirotic were included in a deal, one that wouldn't be done for several weeks, since Mirotic just signed Friday, the Bulls would take away the depth that has made them one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference.

That's why if the Bulls were really serious about landing Love, I don't think they would have pushed so quickly to add free agent Gasol. The posturing that goes on during NBA trade talks is always much more entertaining than the actual deals that go down. In the end, I don't believe Love ends up in Chicago. Plus, it's unclear if he would sign an extension to stay here over time.

The Bulls would be a better team with Love in the fold -- but how much better? Gibson and Butler are two of their top three defenders. Mirotic is a great unknown, but he has the potential to become an All-Star over time according to some experts. More importantly, in the short term, how would Joakim Noah, Gasol and Love be able to work together on the floor?

Forman will continue to work the phones and see what Love's status is in the coming weeks, but the Bulls are comfortable with the team they have and confident that this roster, led by Derrick Rose and Tom Thibodeau, can ultimately take the organization where it wants to go.

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