3 Former Bulls Still Unemployed to Begin November

2.     Thaddeus Young, F

Entering his 17th season once he steps on a court, Young is another Ish Smith All-Star that, odds are, your team has given run at one point or another. Given Chicago’s propensity for middle-tier veterans (often at inflated salary points), the now 36-year-old forward was right at home in the Windy City.

In the injury-addled past few seasons, Young has bounced around. Last scene playing spot minutes for the Suns, he’s likely a long way from the startlingly positive presence he was in his final season in Chicago (+11.5 net rating in over 1600 minutes, per Cleaning the Glass.)

Still, an experienced forward with established passing and defensive chops? Young is the classic mid-season vet acquisition when a rotation loses its fourth forward, or a tanking squad needs its grizzled commander. The right opportunity will present itself.

3.     Otto Porter, F

Now we delve into the fixer-upper portion of available free agents. At this point of the season, they are plentiful. Once a max-contract player in Chicago, Porter just spent two seasons in Toronto that amounted to multiple injuries and understandably poor performance across 23 total games.

So, what’s to like? The 31-year-old wing is still a career 39.7% three-point shooter and just three years removed from being a vital role player on Golden State’s last title team. Squint your eyes (then close them to pray) and you might see a redeemable spacing wing. His injury history puts defense in question, but Porter has long graded out well on that end.

In an era where teams like Boston space enough to prompt discussions of extending the three-point-line, any functional shooter with four limbs is welcome. Health permitting, Porter can provide.

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