Los Angeles  - Brad Miller and John Salmons are leaving royalty to help the Chicago Bulls in their playoff push.

The Sacramento Kings agreed Wednesday to trade Miller and Salmons to the Bulls in exchange for Drew Gooden and Argentine Andres Nocioni as part of a three-team, seven-player deal, according to multiple reports including the Chicago Tribune.

The Bulls also shipped Cedric Simmons to Sacramento and centre Michael Ruffin to the Portland Trail Blazers, who sent centre Ike Diogu to the Kings.

The multi-player move comes ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline.

Under first-year head coach Vinny Del Negro, the Bulls (23-30) are currently in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, good for one of eight Eastern playoff spots.

Miller, averaging 11.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game this season, is expected to provide an inside presence at both ends of the floor.

The two-time all-star centre played for the Bulls from 2000-02. He was dealt to the Indiana Pacers the following year before finding a home with the Kings.

Salmons will add scoring punch to the Bulls. The seven-year NBA veteran is averaging 18.3 points - well above his career average of 8.3 points - along with 4.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists at the small forward spot.

The league-worst Kings (11-43) receive Gooden, who averaged 13.1 points and a team-best 8.6 rebounds this year, after coming over from Cleveland in a 2008 mid-season deal.

"I've been traded before, and the way I look at it is it means somebody wants you," Gooden told the newspaper. "Sacramento has been interested in me for a couple years, so maybe something can work out long-term there. If not, I'm an unrestricted free agent this summer, so I'm auditioning for other teams."

Gooden says he leaves with no ill feelings.

"I enjoyed my time in Chicago," he said. "It's a good bunch of guys and great management. They treat players with respect. I just wish we had won more and I had been healthier."

The hard-nosed Nocioni, averaging 10.4 points in 53 games this season, has been valuable as a starter and coming off the bench to provide an instant spark since joining the Bulls five years ago.

"I'm not surprised," he told the Chicago Sun-Times. "There have been a lot of rumours. I'm all right. I was waiting for this, but I don't feel bad the way I'm leaving.

"It's not like I did something wrong. I wasn't playing my best this season, but I gave everything to this team. The only thing I feel bad about is I'm leaving a good team, good players and good coaches. I really enjoyed being with the Bulls. But this is the NBA life. Things like this can happen."

Simmons was selected with the 15th pick in the 2002 draft but is averaging 2.6 points and 1.1 rebounds in limited minutes.

Diogu has been a bust since being taken as the ninth overall pick in 2005 by Golden State. He will be joining his fourth team after stints with the Warriors, Indiana Pacers and the Trail Blazers.

Portland picked up seldom-used Ruffin, who owns a 1.8-point career scoring average, but hasn't seen any action this season. (dpa)