2. Thaddeus Young
Since entering the league, Thad Young has been one of the most prolific ballhawks in the NBA, not ending a season averaging less than 1.4 steals per game since the 2011-12 season.
At age 32, he’s unfortunately stuck on a Chicago Bulls team that currently has the sixth-worst record in the NBA. Despite being under contract for one more season, Young’s lack of youth and hefty price-tag of just under $14 million per year on average should result in the Bulls looking to shop him to suitors ahead of this year’s trade deadline.
Unfortunately, the Bulls are very unlikely to cut Young, and his high salary makes a mutually beneficial trade very difficult to execute. For Young to end up in a Lakers uniform, there would most likely need to be a third team involved to make salaries work. However, if the Lakers and Bulls managed to make the numbers work, there’s little doubt that Young would be a great fit in Los Angeles.
Young has been thrust into a more meaningful role on offense this season with injuries to Wendell Carter Jr and Lauri Markkanen, and his play has been very impressive. He’s averaging a career-high 4.3 assists per game, including a recent 3 game stretch of 9.3 per game.
The Bulls are much better with Young on the court this season, with a Net Rating of +4.1 when he plays compared to -5.7 when he sits. Plus at 6 foot 8, Young is a versatile defender – the perfect height to guard SF’s and PF’s while being strong enough to defend opposing C’s (doing so on over 15% of defensive possessions in 2019-20).
Young’s advanced defensive numbers were okay last year, but in prior seasons, he was consistently ranked in the top 15% of all NBA players. The fact that should get Lakers fans wanting to trade for Young is that even in last season’s down year, he still graded as an elite perimeter defender, ranking in the top 9% for 7 different statistics.
Something to look for in potential recruits is whether they “play like a Laker” on defense. Under Frank Vogel, the defending champs have built their reputation by stealing the souls of their opponents through unparalleled defensive pressure and unmatched hustle.
To that end, Young fits right in with the team’s defensive identity, not only ranking amongst the NBA’s best pickpockets but also ranking equal second in the league in charges drawn per game.