NBA Trade Rumors: 7 veterans who could help a contender
1. Thaddeus Young, Chicago Bulls
Thaddeus Young has been a breath of fresh air for the Chicago Bulls this season. However, they’ll soon have to decide whether his on-court value outweighs what he could fetch in a trade.
While starting big men Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr. have each missed time with injuries, Young has been a steady presence off the bench. He’s shooting a career-high 59.8 percent from the field and averaging a career-high 4.4 assists despite playing only 25.1 minutes per game.
The Bulls are outscoring opponents by 6.8 points per 100 possessions with Young on the floor, which is the second-highest mark of any regular rotation member on the team. They’re getting outscored by 6.1 points per 100 possessions with him on the bench, which trails only Garrett Temple (minus-7.8).
A number of contenders should pursue Young if the Bulls make him available, but they entered Friday only a half-game behind the Indiana Pacers for the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference. They may decide he’s too important to trade this season as they look to snap a three-year playoff drought.
Young is earning $13.5 million this year, but only $6 million of his $14.2 million salary is guaranteed for the 2021-22 season. The Bulls could always revisit trading him in the offseason or at the 2022 trade deadline if they don’t decide to move on by March 25.
Teams that need frontcourt help can only hope the Bulls go into a tailspin over the next few weeks that convinces them to trade Young right away.
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All statistics via NBA.com, Basketball-Reference or Cleaning the Glass unless otherwise noted and are current through Sunday, Feb. 28. All salary information from Spotrac.