Spurs’ Thaddeus Young Wants To Play For Contender — Trade Soon?

Thaddeus Young
NBA Analysis Network

The San Antonio Spurs are currently one game out of the final NBA Play-In Tournament in the Western Conference. But, with a record of 10-17, they are realistic about where they are; they are a team that is going to compete every night, but they are in a rebuild. Is Thaddeus Young going to remain beyond the NBA trade deadline?

San Antonio has seen a mass exodus of veterans in the last year. LaMarcus Aldridge was bought out during the 2020-21 season. DeMar DeRozan, Rudy Gay and Patty Mills all departed in free agency this past summer.

The San Antonio Spurs have some intriguing young players, headlined by Dejounte Murray and Keldon Johnson, but they are not close to being title contenders, as they are fringe playoff contenders at this point. As a result, veteran Thaddeus Young is looking for a change.

Young was shocked to hear that he would be traded by the Chicago Bulls as part of the package to land DeRozan in a sign-and-trade deal. Rumors were leading up to the trade deadline that Young would be moved, but he ultimately ended up staying put until the offseason when the Bulls had to send some salary out to land DeRozan.

LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: 3 Logical Trade Suitors For Spurs’ Thaddeus Young At Deadline

Young had put together a great 2020-21 season with Chicago, averaging 12.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and a career-high 4.3 assists to go with 1.1 steals per game. He is certainly capable of helping the San Antonio Spurs, but they are dedicated to their younger players and Young’s playing time has been sporadic.

As the consummate professional, Thaddeus Young understands the role but has admitted it isn’t ideal for him. He would like to be playing with a contender, as at 33-years old, he is entering the twilight of his career.

He discussed it on a recent episode of the “Posted Up With Chris Haynes” podcast.

“I don’t mind playing through rebuilds and stuff like that, but the one thing about it is I’m not getting any younger. I’m getting older and at some point, I want to start contending for championships. I haven’t been in any situation where I’ve been able to contend for a championship. I want that feeling. I want that aspect of being able to go out there and being able to compete for a championship every single night. That’s the part that I really want to get to.”

LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: 3 Logical Trade Suitors For Spurs’ Thaddeus Young At Deadline

There is no doubt that Young can still produce and help a team win games. He is in the 15th season of his career and is a steady producer. Young scored in double-figures for 13 consecutive seasons coming into this one.

A versatile defender with an expanding offensive game as a playmaker, numerous contenders would love to add Thaddeus Young to their frontcourt. Teams will have to bring competitive offers to the table because there will be a ton of teams lining up attempting to acquire Young from San Antonio.

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