The Chicago Bulls announced today the team has assigned rookie forward Demetris Nichols to the Iowa Energy of the D-League.

Nichols (6-8, 216) has appeared in four games with the Bulls since the team claimed him on waivers on Dec. 7, 2007. He has also spent time this season in New York and Cleveland, having appeared in three games with the Cavaliers before his stint with Chicago.

Chris Duhon may be the odd man out in the Bulls' suddenly crowded backcourt, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune is reporting.

"There are times teams want to go in another direction or have guys who they expect to play a lot next year," Duhon said after practice on Tuesday. "If my time does come again this season, that's great. If not, I can't let that affect the player I am."

"Right now I just have to be a good teammate and, whenever this season is over, see what my options are."

The Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls and Seattle SuperSonics were able to make their 11 player trade at last Thursday's deadline with only seconds to spare, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel is reporting.  Literally.

"I was a little shocked," Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said of getting the trade done. "It wasn't last minute but it was last-second, that part is true."

"I was in the room, and the NBA was on the line. I heard somebody from the NBA office say, 'Cleveland, you have 20 seconds to get Chicago on the phone.' It was pretty intense."

Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes, Cedric Simmons, and Shannon Brown finally got their first full practice in with the Bulls after being acquired last Thursday, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune is reporting.

"I like the energy," Hughes said. "Everybody's trying to help one another and get the next man involved in a place where he can be successful."

Said Gooden, "My timing has been a little off. That's the first time me and Larry broke a practice sweat in about a week. But I'm picking stuff up quickly."

The Cavaliers received a trade exception last week due to their trade with the Bulls, according to the Beacon-Journal.

Because they separately traded Cedric Simmons for a 2nd round pick, Cleveland received a $1.65 million trade exception which can be used during the next year.

Could Larry Hughes' presence and the emergence of Thabo Sefolosha spell the end of Ben Gordon in Chicago?

With Hughes now in Chicago, the Bulls suddenly have a crowded and expensive backcourt.  Gordon rejected a 5 year, $50 million extension with the team in the off season and will be a restricted free agent after the season.

"You have to think this trade has an impact on everybody," Gordon said diplomatically.

"How, I don't know. Only time will tell."

General Manager John Paxson emphatically denied the trade affects the Bulls' desire to keep Gordon.

"This has nothing to do with Ben Gordon's future," Paxson said. "It really doesn't."

A three-team trade today between the Seattle SuperSonics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls will bring Cleveland?s 6-9 forward Donyell Marshall, 6-7 guard Ira Newble and Chicago?s 6-5 forward Adrian Griffin to the Sonics. In exchange for these three players, Sonics forward Wally Szczerbiak and guard Delonte West have been traded to Cleveland.

?Our primary goal with this deal is to create a positive impact as we head through the final stretch of the season and into the playoffs.  We were very methodical in the process to make sure it was the best deal possible for this team,? Danny Ferry said.  ?We?re very excited about what these players bring to us by adding a new dimension, and that we were able to impact this team without compromising future draft picks. This again demonstrates Dan Gilbert's dedication to this organization and city.  At the same time, we have great respect for the guys that are leaving us and feel like they all contributed to our success.?

?We are all very much aware that this season has not advanced as we anticipated. With that said, we will continue to evaluate and reshape our roster where necessary, until we can get to where we want to be as a team,? said John Paxson, Bulls Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations. ?This particular trade gives us the opportunity to solidify a couple of positions, as well as provide our team with some much needed scoring. The continued development of our young, big front line is crucial and this move today will allow them to gain valuable minutes on the court, which in turn will allow us to make the key decisions we are going to be faced with in the very near future.?

The entire trade is as follows:

Sonics receive: Donyell Marshall (Cleveland), Ira Newble (Cleveland), Adrian Griffin (Chicago)

Cleveland receives: Ben Wallace (Chicago), Joe Smith (Chicago), Wally Szczerbiak (Seattle),
Delonte West (Seattle), 2009 2nd Round Pick (Chicago).

Chicago receives: Larry Hughes (Cleveland), Drew Gooden (Cleveland), Cedric Simmons (Cleveland), Shannon Brown (Cleveland).

Marc Stein reports that the three-way trade was submitted to the NBA before the 3:00 PM EST deadline, and it is currently being reviewed.  

Cleveland will receive Ben Wallace, Joe Smith, Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West, and a future second round pick from Chicago.

The Bulls will receive Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden as well as Cedric Simmons and Shannon Brown.

Seattle will receive Donyell Marshall, Ira Newble, and Adrian Griffin.

According to Brian Windhorst of the Akron Beacon-Journal, the NBA gave the Cavaliers, Bulls, and Sonics an extension to finalize their deal.

Windhorst reports that Chris Duhon will not be dealt to Seattle.

Ben Wallace was traded along with Joe Smith to Cleveland for Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden, according to the Chicago Tribune. The Cavs also included Cedric Simmons to make the money work under the salary cap.

"I had a good time here," Wallace said Thursday. "I enjoyed being one of the guys. And I had a good season last year."

"It's one of those things you come in and play hard and try to give what you give and not worry about what you can't control," Wallace said. "We had some guys that were banged up and beat up a bit. It was tough for us to get everybody on the floor and try to play basketball."