The Chicago Bulls are reportedly planning to trade substitute power forward Taj Gibson as the perennial Sixth Man of the Year candidate is slowly becoming expendable in the team's roster.

Bleacher Report noted that the 6-foot-9 banger "just doesn't fit" the requirements of new Bulls' coach Fred Hoiberg's system that needs a stretch four or shooting forward. He is more of a traditional power forward, which is an endangered position in the modern NBA.

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While the former USC Trojan can slide as an undersized center, ala-Ben Wallace in the mid-2000s, because of his proficient rim protection, Chicago already has Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol sharing minutes in that spot.

As for the other power forwards in the team's lineup, sweet-shooting Spanish-Montenegrin Nikola Mirotić and current 22nd overall pick Bobby Portis are both taller and younger than Gibson. Hoiberg is also said to be considering these two young players to be the primary backups for Noah and Gasol at the four and five spots, which leaves the Brooklyn native as a third-string big man.

With the emergence of Mirotić and his shooting range, Hoiberg may also decide to start the 6-foot-10 scorer together with Gasol up front, utilizing Noah as backup to the latter.

According to Sports Blog, Gibson is not overpaid, with an average salary of about $8.25 million a year, and his numbers are decent as well, averaging 10.3 points and 6.4 rebounds in a little over 27 minutes per game coming off the bench last season, but the Bulls are simply stacked at his position with a new system that does not need him that is why he is turning out to be unessential.

Of course, the team could always keep him, but he is in danger of becoming a David Lee-episode 2 case wherein his potentials will be left decaying on the bench because of a mismatch in supply and demand, so to speak.

Meanwhile, Sports World Report indicated that Gibson may not be dealt this offseason because he had just undergone ankle surgery.

This setback will further push Gibson deeper into the bench, and by the time he is ready to play his position is already capably filled up by someone else, which is eerily similar to what happened with Lee, also a traditional power forward.

TagsNBA 2015, NBA news, NBA News 2015, NBA rumors, NBA Rumors 2015, NBA Trade Rumors, NBA trade rumors 2015, Taj Gibson