Joakim Noah reportedly recruiting Carmelo Anthony to the Bulls

Joakim Noah is doing it all for the Chicago Bulls franchise. Not only was he named Defensive Player of the Year, but he’s also trying to make the team better by recruiting other star players.

Back in March, a report said Noah spent All-Star Weekend trying to recruit Carmelo Anthony to the Bulls. ‘Melo has a $23.7 million option for next season, but is expected to opt out of his current deal to become a free agent. The Clippers, Rockets and Lakers have also been mentioned as teams interested in pursuing the Knicks forward if he becomes available, but thanks to Noah’s efforts, the Bulls might have the inside track.

The Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley says Noah continued to text with ‘Melo throughout the rest of the season. He says Noah has been in Anthony’s ear as much as possible.

None of this should come as a surprise; we’ve heard for a while that the Bulls were preparing to make a run at Carmelo. The problem for them would be fitting ‘Melo’s salary in with the team. Chicago might want him to take a pay cut in order to surround him with more talent. ‘Melo has said he is willing to take less in order to win, and even Knicks president Phil Jackson wants to hold him to that.

We’ll see if Carmelo puts his money where his mouth is. And Chicago would be a really good spot for him, too. Boy would that make the East interesting.