Getty The Chicago Bulls might be sellers at the trade deadline and Thaddeus Young is an intriguing name to watch.
There’s less than two weeks left until the NBA’s March 25 trade deadline, and the Chicago Bulls are falling out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
Saturday night’s 101-90 loss to the Miami Heat, their fourth over the last five, they’re now 16-20 and the 11th seed in the Eastern Conference.
So what’s to expect from them in the upcoming trade market? Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley predicts they’ll part ways with veteran forward Thaddeus Young:
He’s rock-solid at just about everything and as versatile as that description sounds. Every win-now club could find a way to use him. But that’s the point. His value is sky-high, especially in a post-Harden, probably Bradley Beal-less trade market that looks light on needle-movers.
Buckley argues that even with his value that high, it makes plenty of sense for Chicago to retain the 14-year veteran. But would it be worth it?
Chicago could keep Young, fight to avoid the play-in tournament and then get trampled in the opening round. Or the Bulls—with five of their top six players in minutes per game 25 or younger—could brighten their future by dealing Young for picks, prospects or both.
Young is averaging 12.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals for the Bulls this season.
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A Young Trade is Still Unlikely
In recent weeks, the Chicago Bulls have made it very clear that if they were to trade Thaddeus Young, it’d take a role-player caliber godfather offer.
Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas has gone as far as to tell teams that the 32-year old isn’t available, per The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor:
Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas is telling teams that Thaddeus Young isn’t available for trade, according to multiple league sources.
So Buckley’s prediction is controversial in that regard, and in light of head coach Billy Donovan’s latest lineup change.
Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic reported on Saturday that the Bulls would be promoting Young to the starting center position over Wendell Carter Jr.
Young has been manning the position in the final minutes of most recent games, so this doesn’t come as too much of a shock. But would Chicago really sell their best defender, top-2 player, now a member of their starting five?
Their recent stretch of poor play aside, the Bulls have plenty of evidence to show that they play better with Young on the floor.
As the Chicago Bulls front office looks to continue building upon this foundation and around Zach LaVine, Thaddeus Young’s not the kind of player you trade out; but rather trade for.
The Bulls Don’t Have to Trade Young, Yet
If the Chicago Bulls are truly focused on making the playoffs, trading Thaddeus Young makes little sense.
Not only has he been an integral piece in their minimal success thus far, but he’s under contract at $14.1 million (non-guaranteed) next season.
If Young were a pending free agent, it might make more sense for Chicago to explore all of their options.
But the Bulls shouldn’t feel any pressure to get a deal done by this deadline. If things go off the rails and they fall short of the playoffs, they can always revisit Young trade talks in the offseason.
Unless a contending team set on paying top dollar for Thaddeus Young’s services comes knocking before March 25, expect to see the 32-year old in a Chicago Bulls uniform post-trade deadline.
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