One of the biggest offseason moves in the NBA was DeMar DeRozan joining the Chicago Bulls via a sign-and-trade deal that sent Thaddeus Young and Al-Farouq Aminu to the San Antonio Spurs. Young is coming off a terrific year and now, on a rebuilding team, the veteran forward may not hold much of a long-term role.
Now entering Year 15 in the NBA, the 33-year-old forward has silently become one of the best all-around talents from the 2007 NBA Draft and is still a key veteran who can help a contending team this year. Last season, Young averaged 12.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.1 steals, and shot 55.9% from the floor, thus proving his versatility on the floor.
Thaddeus Young is not a franchise-altering talent by any means, but in terms of being a secondary or bench talent, there is no reason why he cannot be an impactful force for almost any team in this league in the frontcourt. He’s a key name to watch in NBA trade rumors as a result.
In San Antonio, he could continue to be this kind of player, but the Spurs are going to be rebuilding and focusing on developing their young talents.
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As a result, there has been a lot of talk about Thad Young being on the trade block entering training camp and ESPN’s Zach Lowe recently wrote that multiple contending teams have been interested in the veteran big man. One of those teams could very well be the New York Knicks, who have available cap space to go after a key veteran like Young.
The Knicks were one of the best defensive teams in the league last season and they claimed the 4-seed in the Eastern Conference.
Not only can Thaddeus Young be a key defensive player off the bench for them, but he can be a terrific backup option behind All-Star Julius Randle, especially since the two players do have very similar play styles.
If they are willing to part ways with some young talents and future draft picks, the Knicks could very well end up trading for Thaddeus Young, so let’s take a look at what this trade could wind up looking like.
