Following a report from Kevin O’Connor, Atlanta Hawks star point guard Trae Young could very well find himself on the move this offseason. With Arturas Karnisovas making it clear that rebuilding is not on his mind, things could get spicy for the Chicago Bulls this summer.
Now, is a trade for Young the right move for Chicago? Probably not. However, bringing in a player of Young’s caliber could do the Bulls some good depending on the package Chicago throws in to trade for him.
While there are some players like Patrick Williams who should be untouchable in this scenario due to his defense, there are others who should be first to go in trade negotiations for one reason or another.
Here are three players the Chicago Bulls should be willing to potentially give up in a trade for Trae Young.
3. Ayo Dosunmu
Ayo Dosunmu is a restricted free agent this season, which could make things trickier than expected if Chicago wishes to use him as a trade asset. That being said, if the Bulls do find some mutual interest on that front, they should not hesitate to potentially use him as a sign-and-trade piece in the scenario of a deal for Young.
Dosunmu is a solid young player with plenty of upside. However, the odds of him becoming anywhere close to the caliber of Young are nonexistent. Yes, Young had his struggles this season, but they are more on the poor coaching and awful fit next to Dejounte Murray than anything else.
Using Dosunmu as a sign-and-trade piece alongside other assets would do the Bulls well. While Dosunmu is certainly a better defender than Young, the gap between the two offensively is more than enough to make up for it.
It would suck to see Dosunmu go, but if Karnisovas is so sold on pushing toward contention, this would be a necessary sacrifice. Bringing in a player like Young would improve the Bulls’ mediocre offense a ridiculous amount.
This season, the Bulls ranked 24th in offensive rating and 22nd in points scored per game. Adding Young to this offense would be such an incredibly needed boost. Now while you may be concerned about his defense, for a very good reason, it is worth noting that the Bulls ranked fifth in defensive rating and eighth in opponent field goal percentage allowed.
Young may be a bad defender, but the Bulls certainly have a good enough defensive squad to help mitigate his issues enough to where it wouldn’t be a detriment to the team.