Projecting Thad Young's Role With Suns

Young officially signed with the Suns yesterday.

PHOENIX -- The newest member of the Phoenix Suns has officially joined the franchise. 

Former Toronto Raptors F Thaddeus Young was released by the Brooklyn Nets following his inclusion of the Spencer Dinwiddie-Dennis Schroeder deal at the NBA's recent trade deadline.

Young officially signed a contract with Phoenix for the remainder of the season Tuesday after nearly a week of reports that a deal was imminent. 

Young, 35, has been a primary target for the Suns' front office since at least 2021 - and while he may not be the player he was three years ago, he still can be an effective rotational piece. 

Prediction: Young Will Be Part of Playoff Rotation

Young isn't a floor-spacer despite several seasons of posting decent shooting marks. He also isn't nearly as versatile of a defender as he once was due to expected athletic regression. 

That certainly doesn't mean that he doesn't bring value to the Suns' prospects in 2024. 

Young isn't a ball-stopper, though he can serve as a connector of the offense in the same vain as Jusuf Nurkic, and also still brings versatility to Vogel's defensive scheme due to a high level of IQ. 

Most importantly, Young adds a wrinkle to the lineup that previously wasn't there. 

Drew Eubanks has proven to be an inconsistent player that shows enough moments of strength to remain relevant. Bol Bol is a very talented player that has played generally well with more consistent playing time, but isn't nearly as strong of a connector as Young. 

The main thing Young adds is flexibility. 

Coach Frank Vogel now has three bigs sitting behind Nurkic that he can mix-and-match based on potential matchups.

Expect Young to be a fixture in the playoff rotation regardless of matchup, but the addition likely could loom much larger than it appears to be at the moment.