Bulls part ways with promising big Adama Sanogo

Brad Penner - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - Thursday, February 20 2025

Given how lackluster the Chicago Bulls' trade deadline was, many fans have given up on this season and the team. This trade deadline isn't the main reason the fans have grown frustrated; instead, the current front office refuses to make the wholesale needed to improve this team.

With Zach Lavine no longer in town, the attention shifts toward Nikola Vucevic, Patrick Williams, and Coby White, as all three could be involved in trade talks throughout the offseason. While things may seem bleak, Chicago has some nice pieces for the future with Matas Buzelis at the top of the list.

The 2024 first-round pick took a while to settle into the NBA game, but it does appear that Billy Donovan has removed the training wheels. The result has been a different-looking Buzelis, as he has proven to be worth the first-round selection the Bulls were hoping for and has established himself as a building block for the future.

The rest of this season should be like that for the Bulls, as they need to figure out who is a building block for the future and who isn't. 2023 undrafted rookie Adama Sanogo was not only a fan favorite but was also seen as a building block, given his performance last season.

After bursting onto the scene to average 22 points and 12 boards as a rookie, Sanogo not only forced his way onto the Bulls roster late in the season but was viewed as a massive building block in the future. Sanogo showed his potential late in the season, starting one game down the stretch and posting a 20-point, 20-rebound game.

Those games aren't easy for any player to come by, so to see an undrafted rookie do it made things all that more impressive. Expected to be on the Bull's roster for the 2024 season, Sanogo signed one of the Bull's three two-way contracts and was once again destined to play most of his games in the G-League.

It was an interesting decision, but one that seems warranted, as Sanogo hasn't had the same success this season as last. Still, with 16.2 PPG and 9.9 RPG, Sanogo has continued to show he can be a force for the Bulls if given the opportunity. That opportunity must come from someone else, as the Bulls have reportedly terminated Sanogo's deal with the team and will be moving on from his services.

Not only is that a surprising decision, but when you look at some of the current players on the Bulls roster, you could make the case that Sanogo is better and deserves an opportunity. With him out of the Bulls plans going forward, it opened up an additional two-way contract as the Bulls had two of their three contracts accounted for.

That is no longer the case, as the Bulls filled that open two-way contract by finding Sanogo's replacement. Rookie guard Jahmir Young is coming to Windy City to finish the year. Young was a standout for the Maryland Terrapins, who averaged 17.3 PPG across his career and was one of the better players in the Big 10 in his final two seasons.

Look no further than his senior season when he averaged a career-best 20.4 PPG, topping his previous high 19.6 PPG set two seasons prior. Apart from the 12.5 PPG that he posted as a freshman, Young averaged at least 18 PPG his final four seasons in college and was viewed as a late-first/early second-round pick.

When he went undrafted, it was a surprise. He was also the most sought-after player on the market, so he signed a deal with the Grand Rapids Gold (Denver Nuggets). In 30 games with the Gold this season, Young has continued to show why he was the player he was in college, averaging 22.4 PPG and 7.3 APG.

Now in the Bulls organization, Young will look to keep that level of play going, hoping to earn some late-season NBA time to prove his worth.