Bulls' Young close to buying stake in Australian team
Bulls forward Thad Young confirmed a report that he is nearing a deal to purchase a minority ownership stake in Australia's Brisbane Bullets.
Brisbane is one of nine teams in Australia's National Basketball League and Young is investing at the invitation of former Minnesota teammate Kevin Martin.
"It's true. I look at that league as primed for growth," Young said after Friday's shootaround in Charlotte. "I see that as a league where guys can go if they don't want to go to college (coming) out of high school and be able to grow their games a little."
Two NBA first-round draft picks - Charlotte's LaMelo Ball and Denver's R.J. Hampton - played in Australia last season rather than attend a U.S. college. The NBL consists of eight teams in Australia and one in New Zealand.
"I expect it to be finalized in the next week or so," Young said. "Right now, that's not really my focus. It's playing this game that I have tonight. But definitely happy about being a part of the NBL and the Brisbane family. I think it's definitely going to be something that's really good in the coming years.
"Kevin, we've been good friends since Minnesota. He definitely played a role. He reached out to me ... I told him to send me everything and I'd look over it. When I started to dive into it, I started to see that it really made sense for me to do. It's fresh. The league is still early (founded in 1979). That's when you usually get in on some of these investments. You get in on the early side and help it grow over the course of time."
Young will likely play an important role in the game against the Hornets since center Wendell Carter Jr. was ruled out with a quad contusion.
• Twitter: @McGrawDHBull