Clippers Trade Rumors: Bulls' Thaddeus Young Draws Interest from LAC

Already boasting arguably the NBA's best roster, the Los Angeles Clippers are reportedly showing trade interest in Thaddeus Young. 

Per Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Bulls forward is on the Clippers' radar leading up to the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

Woike noted executives from other teams think the Clippers could be searching for a physical center or a playmaking guard. 

Maurice Harkless, who is earning $11 million in the final season of his contract, is mentioned as the most likely player the Clippers could potentially use to facilitate a deal for Young. 

Young's control could be appealing to a team like Los Angeles, which has $130.8 million in salary commitments this season and $117.8 million next season, per Spotrac. The 31-year-old is guaranteed $13.5 million in 2020-21 and has a partial guarantee of $6 million for 2021-22. 

One potential issue for the Clippers is how valuable Harkless has been to the team's defense this season. Head coach Doc Rivers called him a "Swiss army knife" in November for his ability to guard four different positions. 

Young is no slouch on the defensive end. He's been worth 1.1 wins shares on defense with a 1.0 defensive box plus-minus rating this season, per Basketball Reference. 

The Clippers still have five weeks to determine what route they want to take before the trade deadline, so keeping all of their options open at this point is smart business for one of the NBA's best teams.