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.

Outlining Bleacher Report’s proposed Bulls trade for Trae Young

Although the Bulls would likely prefer to land a bonafide top-10 player if they’re going to take a swing for the fences, they don’t really have the assets to get a deal like that done. Without a single premiere prospect on the team or an excess of draft capital in the war chest, they’ll need to get savvy if they want to make any radical improvements via trade.

That’s why Trae Young is a particularly interesting option, as he’s an undeniably great player with just enough faults to make his own team consider moving him in the first place. Young would fill in the vacant point guard position left in the absence of Lonzo Ball, and would immediately be able to play a big role in Chicago.

The Bulls likely aren’t interested in making this move if it means moving off either of their All-Stars, which means they can’t be that picky with the remaining options on the table. The Hawks will demand a platter of young talent and future draft picks to get this deal, a risk Chicago may just have to be willing to take.

Lonzo Ball will be included in this deal primarily to make the salary match, but Patrick Williams, Coby White, Dalen Terry, and the future draft picks will be the primary assets the Hawks would be interested in here. This deal checks out in the trade machine and may be equitable in terms of player value, but is this a trade both parties would actually agree to?

Would the Hawks accept this trade?

If Hawks fans had any say in this, I’m sure this trade would be shut down faster than Trae Young could blow a defensive assignment. If your favorite team is going to trade its franchise player, you’d probably like to see them get more in return than a prospect who hasn’t lived up to their full potential and a few draft picks — Jimmy Butler ring a bell, anyone?

For that reason, I wouldn’t fault a Hawks fan for finding this deal abhorrent. Whether they like it or not, however, this deal is probably closer to Trae’s true value on the market than they’re willing to admit. Young is viewed as a very risky asset around the league, one that established teams don’t need to gamble on and middling teams (like the Bulls) would be too afraid to pull the trigger on. If Chicago isn’t going to offer a king’s ransom for Trae, I’d be hesitant to believe they would deal away their star so soon.

Would the Bulls accept this trade?

If Trae were to be dealt to Chicago, I’d have no doubt that they’d actually be a relatively seamless fit. Three-point shooting and playmaking are two of the Bulls’ greatest weaknesses, and having a star like Young around would do a great deal to address these deficiencies instantly.

That being said, Young’s porous defense may just be bad enough to neutralize any positive impact he has on the offensive end. This is especially true considering he has had difficulties developing chemistry with co-star Dejounte Murray and complying with Atlanta’s coaches in the past. Would things really be any better alongside DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Billy Donovan in Chicago?

As great as they are individually, the talents of three ball-dominant stars like Trae, DeMar, and Zach may ultimately be wasted if put next to each other. This potential recipe for disaster only looks even worse when you consider the fact that Chicago had to trade away almost all of their depth to get the deal done in the first place.

A starting lineup of Young, LaVine, DeRozan, Alex Caruso, and Nikola Vucevic may actually prove to be a lot better than people would give them credit for, but it wouldn’t be enough to put this team over the top. I understand the sentiment behind this proposal, but both teams walk away here long before any serious traction begins to build.

Grade: D