Chicago Bulls: 3 best trade packages involving Thaddeus Young

The second trade proposal on this list is the simplest of all of the three. It involves the Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves getting back into trade talks for the first time since the 2017 offseason. In the 2017 offseason, the Bulls wound up shipping off star small forward Jimmy Butler to the Timberwolves for that elusive return that included LaVine, Markkanen, and Dunn.

But this trade package actually has a veteran forward going back to the Bulls after he was originally drafted by this franchise. The 33-year-old Cheyenne, WY, native and Wake Forest Demon Deacons 6-foot-7 and 240 pound James Johnson was originally picked by the Bulls with the 16th overall pick in the first round of the 2010 NBA Draft.

Johnson does command a larger price tag in terms of base salary on his contract than Young does, but he also has one year left on his deal. He’s due around $15 million next year, but then he’s set to hit the free agent market thereafter. Young will be due around $13 million per year for the last two seasons remaining on his current contract.

In the season that was for the Timberwolves, Johnson played in 14 games (starting in just one of them). He also played in 18 games with the Miami Heat at the outset of the 2019-20 season. Johnson averaged 8.4 points per game, 3.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.0 blocks. He shot a solid 47.9 percent from the field, 36.3 percent from beyond the arc, and 64.6 percent from the free-throw line.