Getty Spencer Dinwiddie brings the ball up the court during a December 22 game against the Golden State Warriors.
Few things are more certain than the Chicago Bulls need to bring in a point guard this summer, with Coby White recently injured and Tomas Satoransky the only other option.
Devon Dotson will be entering his second year after very limited playing time in his first, and Ryan Arcidiacano has a $3-million team option that has yet to be exercised or declined.
With two All-Stars in house in Nikola Vucevic and Zach LaVine, there’s now an increased pressure for Chicago to find a third star, whether at point guard or any of the other four positions.
But the avenues through which they can do so will be limited to free agency and the upcoming trade market.
One name to watch, that may be available through both routes, is Brooklyn Nets’ guard Spencer Dinwiddie.
A group of NBA Insiders at ESPN recently tied the current free agent to the Chicago Bulls by way of a three-team deal.
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ESPN’s Trade Proposal
In a recent article for ESPN, NBA draft 2021: Six big trades we want to see, including Bradley Beal and Ben Simmons, a team of NBA insiders put together six draft-day trade proposals.
The Chicago Bulls weren’t a part of deals for aforementioned star powers like Ben Simmons or Bradley Beal but were linked as a landing spot for Spencer Dinwiddie.
Currently a free agent, the insiders proposed he make his way to the Windy City by way of a sign-and-trade.
The proposal goes as follows:
- Chicago Bulls receive: Spencer Dinwiddie (sign-and-trade)
- Brooklyn Nets receive: Thaddeus Young, 2026 second-round pick (via OKC)
- Oklahoma City Thunder receive: DeAndre Jordan and pick No. 27 in this year’s draft (via BRK)
ESPN’s Bobby Marks later clarified that a sign-and-trade would be the most viable route to bring Dinwiddie to Chicago:
Point guard is a position of need for Chicago and because the Bulls do not have cap space, they will need to orchestrate a sign-and-trade deal to acquire Dinwiddie. The addition of Brooklyn’s selection now has Oklahoma City with four first-round picks on July 29. The Thunder will acquire Jordan with the $10.1 million trade exception created in the trade of Danilo Gallinari to Atlanta last year.
Whether he would want to help the Nets or move out to the Windy City is unclear.
There’s been no reporting of mutual interest between Spencer Dinwiddie and the Chicago Bulls.
But if healthy, he’d been an upgrade in every way. Dinwiddie averaged 20.6 points and 6.8 assists before tearing his ACL at the start of this season.
Thaddeus Young Might Be on the Move
It’s interesting to see Thaddeus Young mentioned in trade proposals after the season he’s just accomplished with the Chicago Bulls.
The veteran forward was arguably the team’s second-best player prior to the Nikola Vucevic trade and was a candidate for the Sixth Man of the Year award before being moved into the starting lineup.
Young finished the season averaging 12.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, a career-high 4.3 assists, and 1.1 steals across 68 appearances for the Bulls.
But maybe that is all the more reason to trade him now, while his value is at its peak. Young is also entering the last year of his three-year/$41-million deal and will have a number of suitors in free agency next year.
The only other large salary Chicago could hedge in a trade would be that of Al-Farouq Aminu, who they acquired as a part of the Vucevic deal at the trade deadline.
As soon as the 2020-2021 season ended, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the 11-year veteran would exercise his $10.1 million player option to return to the Bulls next season.
But a trade involving Aminu would be considered more of a salary dump, as he’s seemingly lost a step after tearing his meniscus in his right knee at the start of the 2019-2020 season.
So if the Chicago Bulls are set on trading for a point guard upgrade a la Spencer Dinwiddie, then it will have to include Thaddeus Young, making the decision all the more complex.
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