JULY 6: The Bulls have officially signed Young, the team announced in a press release.
JUNE 30: Free agent forward Thaddeus Young has agreed to join the Bulls on a three-year, $41MM deal, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
Young, 31, spent the last three seasons in Indiana. In 2018/19, he averaged 12.6 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2.5 APG, and 1.5 APG in 81 contests (30.7 MPG) for the Pacers, making 52.7% of his shots from the floor. He also provided defensive versatility in the club’s frontcourt.
However, with the Pacers apparently committed to playing Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis alongside one another up front, and with T.J. Warren joining the power forward mix as well, Young was the odd man out.
In Chicago, he’ll join a Bulls frontcourt that features promising young prospects Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter.
Having committed a chunk of their cap room to Young, the Bulls should still have about $10MM available to spend. The team is rumored to be in the market for a veteran point guard.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Luke Adams contributed to this post.
What is the point of this?
They have no depth behind Lauri. It’s steep but they needed some veteran depth.
Veteran mentor for their two young front court players. Is it really that hard to understand?
way too much money
Bad signing.
Well it’s GarPax, sooo…
U cant ask more from them.but this sign is not that bad.he can be mentor for lauri,wendell,and gafford.we dont have any vet big anymore bcoz lopez went to bucks.next is vet guard.dont ask garpax to sign big name.it wasted ur time.maybe they can sign jaret jack.thats their best.
I can always come here for the knee jerk analysis from the unwashed masses of internet comment sections.
I feel like that’s a lot of money for a role player/6th man. But he’s a veteran, adds depth, and he’s a solid player. I’m not sure if he’s known as a “leader” but maybe that’s the motivation. Bulls are a young squad with some potential. I’ll reserve judgment on this until mid-season.
I had him going to Denver, so anything else is a letdown.
Boylan called, he said Young & Markannen will start, and Carter will have to stay conditioned and earn what he wants.
Anther terrible move by the Bulls, ugh I hate being a lifelong fan of a team with idiot executives.
If you think Thad Young is a terrible addition to the Bulls, you should truly reconsider your knowledge of basketball..
First of all, the Bulls desperately needed to add some solid, veteran depth to their front court. Young does exactly just that.
Second, let’s face it, the Bulls are not an attractive franchise for free agents anymore. With that said, if they want to bolster their depth, then they’re likely going to have to overpay a little to get their guy.
Young can be an excellent influence, on and off the court, for all of the Bulls’ younger core players. Besides Markkanen, the Bulls really don’t have another legitimate #4 on their roster, so they HAD TO add another versatile big. Like I said, Young is an extremely versatile defender, he is a tough rebounder, and he is someone that can come off the bench, give the Bulls a boost of emergy, and he is able to score without needing the ball in his hands…
You would be hard pressed to find a more perfect fit than Thad Young. I mean, there were obviously better players available, but none of those guys were going to come to the Bulls, agree to come off the bench, and none would have taken less than what Young was willing to sign for..
Calm down with the knee-jerk reactions…Take some time to really consider Young’s fit, his versatility, and the Bulls other realistic options available to them…Once you’ve done that, I think you’ll change your tune..
$13.5MM/yr for Thad Young is not terrible. Lauri is injury prone so depth at PF is a good thing. The Bulls could do a lot worse. He doesn’t need the ball in his hands to be effective. He rebounds well. Great locker room presence. Don’t see the downside.