NBA Trade Rumors: Chicago Bulls to consider moving Lauri Markkanen, Thaddeus Young this off-season
The 2020 NBA off-season will be a crucial one for the Chicago Bulls. They failed to qualify for the playoffs this year after finishing in 13th place in the East. While they patiently wait for their star players to take a leap forward, there are also some NBA trade rumors suggesting that they could trade for a superstar. In this article, we'll take a look at the Chicago Bulls' most-likely trade scenarios in the upcoming off-season.
NBA Trade Rumors: Lauri Markkanen might be a good fit for the New Orleans Pelicans
Chicago Bulls could be looking to build a strong roster around Zach Lavine in the off-season. The 25-year-old averaged 25.5 points this season and will be looking to make his first all-star appearance in 2020-21. The Athletic's senior writer Sam Vecenie recently talked about players like Lauri Markkanen who could be traded by Chicago Bulls to make space for another star player to join Lavine in the upcoming NBA season.
According to Vecenie, Bulls' Wendell Carter Jr. and Lauri Markkanen are not a good fit together. Since Markkanen is older than Carter and a year closer to getting paid, he might be moved in the off-season. Vecenie also pointed out that Lauri Markkanen could be a great fit for teams like the New Orleans Pelicans:
"With Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson in tow, the team could desperately use a floor-spacing big in order to help those guys have space to attack in the midrange and at the basket."
The 23-year-old big averages 16.1 points per game in his career. Sam Vecenie thinks that moving Markkanen to New Orleans in exchange for a draft pick could help the Chicago Bulls in the long run.
NBA Trade Rumors: Chicago Bulls might move Thaddeus Young after a disappointing season
Chicago Bulls' Thaddeus Young had a lackluster 2019-20 season; he averaged 10.3 points and 4.9 rebounds. Despite his recent dip in form, Sam Vecenie believes that Young could have value in the trade market this year:
"If the Clippers were to lose JaMychal Green and Marcus Morris in free agency, Young would really fit what they look for. Utah could use a multi-positional forward defender like him."
Thaddeus Young had an impressive run with the Indiana Pacers before moving to Chicago Bulls. The 32-year-old Young might be more valuable for a team looking to win immediately.
Despite the above NBA trade rumors, we have got to keep in mind that the Chicago Bulls have a new management with Arturas Karnisovas as their executive vice president and are yet to appoint a new head coach. However, the direction Chicago Bulls take in the off-season might significantly change based on the opinion of their new head coach.
Also read: NBA News Update: LA Lakers' Talen Horton-Tucker talks about his recent playoff heroics, New York Knicks to begin practice camp under Tom Thibodeau.