There are 17 days remaining before the NBA’s trade deadline.

That’s how much time Bulls general manager John Paxson has to decide whether to make a move now or let things ride into the summer, when the Bulls will have two first-round draft picks and roughly $15 million in cap room to play with.

The Bulls talked about a multi-team deal involving Denver, different than the one mentioned in the New York Post on Sunday involving Orlando’s Steve Francis going to the Nuggets. It’s also possible the Bulls were offered Denver power forward Kenyon Martin, a tough take with $70.8 million and five years left on his contract.

Another objective for Paxson is to try and solve the mystery of Drew Gooden. The Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers have had discussions about the 6-foot-10 power forward, according to a league source.

Gooden will be a restricted free agent this summer, so it’s likely the Bulls would have to give up something in return whether they trade for him now or try to sign him during the off-season. The most logical fit in a trade would be Chris Duhon, since the Cavaliers are hurting for a true point guard.

There are times when Gooden appears to be a very good player. He’s averaging 11.1 points and 8.8 rebounds this season, which is actually down from 14.4 and 9.2 last year. His minutes have dropped slightly with the addition of Donyell Marshall.

The issue with Gooden is he has been traded twice in four NBA seasons and many observers don’t expect him to stay in Cleveland. Such a history always raises a red flag, since it’s natural to assume something must be wrong with the guy if three teams don’t want him.

But Gooden has an advocate on the Bulls in Kirk Hinrich, a former teammate at Kansas. Any negatives in Gooden’s game have gone unnoticed by the Bulls’ point guard.

“I know Drew real well,” Hinrich said. “He’s a good friend of mine. He doesn’t play his full game with the Cavs. He’s kind of just a garbage man, like a third or fourth option.

“I think he has the ability to do a lot more and produce more.”

Questions have been raised about Gooden’s basketball IQ. But someone who has watched him closely suggested the issue is not intelligence, but maybe a lack of focus.

After being chosen fourth in the 2002 draft by Memphis, Gooden was traded in February of his rookie season to Orlando, then traded again in the summer of 2004 to Cleveland.

“I think a lot of times when guys come in the league and were traded a couple times, they get a bad reputation,” Hinrich said.

“How many teams has Jimmy Jackson played on? (Answer: 12) I think a lot of times it’s not anything negative. It’s positive because somebody else wants you and thinks you can help.

“When I played with Drew, he’s real competitive and wants to win. He’s a good kid.”

In other Bulls news, forward James Thomas practiced with the Bulls on Sunday in Salt Lake City and the team offered no word on whether he’ll be let go or signed to a second 10-day contract.