Thaddeus Young – San Antonio Spurs
After having one of the best all-around years of his career last season with the Chicago Bulls, Thaddeus Young was moved in a sign-and-trade that sent DeMar DeRozan to Chicago. In 68 games last season, Young averaged 12.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.1 steals, and shot 55.9% from the floor.
The now 14-year NBA veteran is one of the more underrated contributors at the power forward position in this league and while many seemed to give up on him after his time with the Pacers a few years back, Thaddeus Young is still an impactful player in this league.
From scoring to facilitating to rebounding to being a factor defensively, there really are no major weaknesses to Young’s game, which is why he would be a great experienced trade target for a young team like the New Orleans Pelicans.
They do have Zion Williamson at the power forward position, but they could absorb Young’s contract with their Steven Adams TPE and the vet would provide some much-needed insurance behind Zion. Right now, the Pelicans have Valanciunas, Hayes, and Hernangomez in their frontcourt, but they really do not have anyone reliable behind Williamson.
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Brandon Ingram may be able to play some time at power-forward when Zion is not on the floor and maybe in smaller lineups, either Naji Marshall or Trey Murphy III can fill out some minutes there, but overall, this team would benefit greatly from Thaddeus Young’s presence not only because of what he can do on the floor but because of his presence in the locker room.
Thad Young is a terrific mentor for young players in this league and he has been around the block quite a bit. The Spurs are his sixth team in the NBA and if he is moved again before the start of the season, Young would get set to begin his 15th season in the league with his 7th team.
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Say what you want about the aging forward, but everywhere he has been in his career, Thaddeus Young has delivered and has been impactful, which is why this narrative will not change if he is traded to New Orleans to become a key bench option behind Zion Williamson.
