Bulls to go after big three

Associated Press

CHICAGO

So, King James, would you like to get the royal treatment in your idol’s old hometown and help the Windy City rekindle the joy of the Michael Jordan era?

How about a homecoming, Dwyane Wade?

And what about you, Chris Bosh? Do you like deep dish?

With LeBron James heading what might be the NBA’s greatest free-agent class and the Bulls holding enough salary cap space to woo two stars, expectations are soaring in Chicago. The Bulls can make themselves championship contenders for years to come with the right sales pitch.

That means all eyes are on you, general manager Gar Forman. Not to mention you, executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson and chairman Jerry Reinsdorf.

“I think there’s always some pressure,” Forman said. “We challenge ourselves each and every day to make improvements and try to get better — not only myself, but everybody in this organization.”

Reports in recent days have linked James and Bosh as a package going to the Bulls and joining Derrick Rose. Others have them teaming with Wade and giving Miami what would amount to a near-dream team.

Agent Henry Thomas, who represents Wade and Bosh, said both are interested in talking with the Bulls. He also told the Associated Press that Wade has talked to both James and Bosh.

The Bulls have been eyeing this moment for a while.

They let leading scorer Ben Gordon sign with Detroit last summer and traded away John Salmons during the season, assuring they would have enough cap room to offer a maximum contract during this free-agent frenzy. They didn’t stop there, though.

Last week, they agreed to trade veteran guard Kirk Hinrich and his $9 million salary next season along with the 17th pick in the draft to Washington for a future second-rounder. Once it goes through, it will leave the Bulls with about $30 million in cap room.

Although that might not be enough to offer two maximum free agent contracts, it certainly puts the Bulls in position to be huge players in free agency.

“The flexibility gives us opportunities to get better, and there’s a lot of different angles we can take,” Forman said. “It’s not necessarily one thing. It gives us a chance to get better, and our job is to explore all those different options, be prepared for different options and then try to take advantage.”

The question is, can they close the deal?