Kobe Deal in the Works?

The idea that Kobe Bryant would be heading to the Windy City is much more than the average internet rumor in that it carries a substantial amount of weight. Kobe's no-trade clause gives him unusual leverage in deciding his next destination, and it is clear that the Bulls are among his top. For the Lakers, Chicago boasts a large amount of young talent that Los Angeles could seek to tap into in order to get the most for their disgruntled superstar.

It's a Win-Win:

The Bulls have a few expendable players and a high first round draft pick (9) to use as a bargaining chip should trade talks become serious. Also, Ben Wallace could enter the discussion, if for no other purpose than to balance the tremendous salary the Bulls would take on by acquiring Bryant. While Gordon (24) and Deng(23) are younger than 30-year-old Bryant, the Bulls would take a giant step towards a championship by acquiring the superstar, and Los Angeles would strengthen their core of players around whom to build.

Of the three teams in whom Bryant is reportedly interested(Chicago, New York, Phoenix) Chicago makes the most sense, both for the reasons above and the fact that the Lakers would be downright foolish to ship their star off to a conference opponent. New York is a large market, but it is widely believed that they simply do not have the talent to put a package together that would be attractive enough to L.A.'s GM Mitch Kupchak.

The Only Trouble Is...

If this deal is not done on or before draft day, it becomes nearly impossible. The number 9 pick seems to be one of the corner stones of this deal along with Loel Deng

Also, we are not convinced that the Lakers will give into the demands of Bryant, who seems equally unsure of what it is that he actually wants. After flip-flopping more than Kerry's campaign, though, it seems as though Kobe has settled on the idea that he wants and needs to leave L.A.

As attractive a player as Ben Wallace is, he is also 33. That means he will be 36 going into the last year of his 60-million dollar contract.

The Jordan Problem: