Grade the Trade: Bulls land star guard Trae Young in proposed deal

While other teams were pulling the trigger on big moves all summer long, the Chicago Bulls once again remained relatively quiet and instead focused on making marginal improvements. The consensus among critics and fans alike seems to be that this team is not good enough to win a championship as currently constructed, so the decision to tread water has left many perplexed.

If the Bulls were to take a swing for the fences and make a big move, Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley reckons they know just who could fix Chicago’s lack of a superstar centerpiece — Trae Young. There’s been no indication from the Hawks thus far that Young is on the trade block, but with their franchise also in a state of flux, there’s not a player on that roster that should be deemed as entirely untouchable.

Would trading for Trae Young be enough to put the Bulls over the top?

Once a media darling as a hotshot guard coming out of college, Young has embraced his heel turn and become one of the most consistently entertaining ‘villains’ the league has to offer today. As such, this has resulted in far more negative publicity pointed his way from the media. I doubt this has had any real impact on how much Atlanta’s front office would value Trae in trade negotiations, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it made rival general managers a little more tempted to pick up the phone and spark negotiations.

In the four seasons since his rookie campaign, Trae has averaged an incredible 27.4 points and 9.7 assists per game while racking up two All-Star appearances and an All-NBA nomination. If he is indeed available to be acquired via trade, the Bulls’ front office must at least do their due diligence to see what this potential deal might look like.