Thaddeus Young – San Antonio Spurs
After Thaddeus Young was acquired by the Spurs, there was some speculation that the Phoenix Suns could be interested in adding him to their roster and in August, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that the Suns were interested in pursuing Young.
Given the fact that San Antonio is going to want to trade Thaddeus Young at the trade deadline this season, Phoenix could potentially get him for a smaller price than they could have from the Bulls this past offseason.
Without giving up key assets like Mikal Bridges or Cameron Johnson, the only trade package that comes to mind that Phoenix can make work financially is if the Suns traded away Dario Saric, Jalen Smith and a draft pick or two.
Saric is currently rehabbing from ACL surgery, so the Spurs may not even be interested in him, and Jalen Smith was a lottery pick last year who did not play much during his rookie year.
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Smith definitely has potential to develop into an athletic big man who can be a stretch big man in multiple rotations, but he is still very raw and still needs plenty of time to develop. San Antonio could be a great landing spot for the young big man, but he may not be enough value for the Spurs to take back in a trade to move Thaddeus Young.
Like Robert Covington, Thaddeus Young is a veteran player in the final year of his contract that would bolster this Suns’ frontcourt, one of the areas they needed help with in the playoffs last season.
A season ago with the Bulls, Young averaged 12.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.3 assist, 1.1 steals and shot 55.9% from the floor, making him a well diverse player that can help a team like the Suns in many different ways.
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Thaddeus Young just has a very high understanding for the game in-front of him, which is why he would fit in so well with the Suns. This Phoenix team is a very smart team that may not be the most athletic, but they pick their opponents apart because of their unselfish play.
Again, he’s not the difference in them winning a title, but adding Thaddeus Young certainly does not hurt this Phoenix Suns team in any way.
Verdict: Pursue
