Does this trade make sense for the the San Antonio Spurs?
Whether or not the the San Antonio Spurs would make this trade with Phoenix would depend on whether or not they are getting better deals from other teams around the league.
Making just $14.1M in the final year of his contract, Thaddeus Young is definitely a key trade target for several playoff teams around the league, the Suns being just one of them.
If another team is offering a couple draft picks prior to 2024, they may be more willing to trade Young to them instead of the Suns, but overall, this is not a terrible deal for the Spurs. Dario Saric could contribute next season when he recovers from his ACL injury and Jalen Smith is worth taking a gamble on.
Drafted 10th overall in 2020, many teams saw a lot of potential in Jalen Smith to be a contributing factor in the frontcourt, but the Suns just have not devoted the time to making him better because they have been focusing on becoming a championship-caliber team.
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If the Suns were constantly losing, Smith would definitely have had a role with this team and see minutes, but they just have not had the time to help him become a steady rotational player in this league.
Seeing as they are currently 13-18 and on the outside of the playoff picture in the Western Conference, the Spurs definitely have the resources and time to devote to developing Jalen Smith. After all, they have had a lot of success through the years developing frontcourt talents, just ask Tim Duncan!
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At the end of the day, there is future value to be had in this deal for the the San Antonio Spurs, which makes it worthwhile for them. It may not be a whole lot of value, but Thaddeus Young is in the final year of his contract and they should be happy to get anything for him, even if it is a first-round draft pick in 2024.
