Was the Trade for Now or Later?
This trade is interesting in that it remains to be seen whether it was made for now or for the future. It could be both. Trying to incorporate new players into a system with only 29 games remaining is not easy, but in a weak Eastern Conference it is doable.
I think the trade is probably more for the future...as John Paxson said, it frees up the organization to make more moves during the off-season.
Can either Larry Hughes or Drew Gooden be part of a Bulls lineup next year or beyond? That depends on what happens around them...are they part of a future deal? If not, then certainly Hughes and Gooden have both proven that they are NBA caliber players, especially Drew Gooden who gives the Bulls a lot more offense at the power forward position than anyone that the Bulls have had in quite some time.