Coming off their win over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, the Phoenix Suns are now 18-3 on the year and have won 17 straight games, matching their franchise-record of 17 games set back during the 2006-07 NBA season.
Devin Booker is dealing with a hamstring injury that the Suns are being cautious with and will force the All-Star to miss a couple of games, but up and down this roster, Phoenix looks like a much more well-rounded team than they did a season ago when they lost in the NBA Finals to the Bucks.
Young guys like Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson are continuing to develop into key secondary talents for this team on both ends of the floor and the additions of JaVale McGee and Landry Shamet have really helped this team grow even more.
While this team has found a ton of success early on in the year, they still seem like they are missing something.
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Their backcourt is in good hands with Booker, Paul and Payne, but the Suns could definitely use another frontcourt piece, especially with Dario Saric still out due to an ACL injury.
Deandre Ayton has turned himself into one of the top centers in the league and JaVale McGee is a great backup to have, but Jae Crowder is this team’s only power-forward and at times, they can be vulnerable in the paint/low-post when he is not in the game.
With no trade exceptions and being close to the tax line on the year, the Phoenix Suns do not have many moves they can make, but there is one veteran player that has been on their radar of the last few months that could come in and make an impact right away off-the-bench.
In the offseason, the San Antonio Spurs executed a sign-and-trade with the Bulls centered around DeMar DeRozan and while they got some draft compensation in return for DeRozan, the Spurs also got veteran Thaddeus Young.
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Given that they are rebuilding and he is in the final year of his contract, Young does not present much of a future to San Antonio, hence why he is a key trade target around the league this year.
The Spurs’ asking price is unknown, but the market for Thaddeus Young has dropped dramatically since the start of the season. Trade conversations will begin to pick back up over the next month or so as February’s trade deadline approaches, but the Suns should try to get a deal done now while Young’s value is still relatively low.
The now 15-year forward has always been a reliable player on both ends of the court and coming off a season in which he averaged 12.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.1 steals and shot 55.9% from the floor, Thaddeus Young is the perfect secondary talent the Suns could add in their pursuit of a title this season.
He brings experience, stability in the frontcourt and is a factor on both ends of the court, which would make the Suns an even more balanced team than they already are. Given that they are limited financially, how can Phoenix pull off a deal for Young and his $14.1M contract for this season?
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Let’s take a look at a trade proposal put together by ESPN’s Bobby Marks that would result in the Phoenix Suns striking a deal with the San Antonio Spurs for Thaddeus Young.
