Chicago Bulls: 3 players first to go in a draft night trade

3) Chicago Bulls draft night trade chips: Thaddeus Young

One of the most unfortunate situations that arose from the season that was for the Bulls was the friction between the front office, coaching staff, and veteran forward Thaddeus Young in terms of the role that he was put in. In his first season with the Bulls, Young had promise to be the veteran voice that was needed in the locker room.

But it seems like the role he was promised of keeping with the strengths of his skill set along with mentoring key parts of this young core was something that was not delivered in his inaugural run with the Bulls. He was likely the first player to go if GarPax made any moves at the trade deadline near the end of last season.

The chances that the Bulls deal out Young this offseason still feel pretty likely. Young still holds value and respect around the NBA, but might not for too much longer if he sticks around in a weird role with the Bulls. He’s due a little bit less than $14 million per year for each of the final two seasons of his current contract.

Young played in all but one game (64) during the shortened 2019-20 regular season with the Bulls (16 of which he started in). And Young averaged 10.3 points per game, 4.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.4 blocks. He shot 44.8 percent from the field, 35.6 percent from beyond the arc, and 58.3 percent from the free-throw line.