On February 14, Beijing time, according to the news of WOJ, the Suns will finalize the contract with free agent Thaddeus Young, and the two sides will sign a contract until the end of the season. The Suns signed Thaddeus Young in preparation for the playoffs, hoping to strengthen the team's frontcourt depth, play their due value on the bench, and escort the Big Three.
Thaddeus Young, who will turn 36 this year, has appeared in 23 games for the Raptors this season, starting six of them, averaging 5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 15.2 minutes per game while shooting 62.1 percent from the field. He was traded for Dinwiddie as a Raptors chip at the trade deadline and was sent to Brooklyn with Schroder before the Nets opted to cut him, and he became a free agent after a clarification period.
Salary expert Bobby Marks said that although the Suns' total salary this season triggered the league's second-highest luxury tax line, since Thaddeus Young was paid $8 million a year before he was cut, which was less than the $12.4 million a year of the full mid-range, the Suns could sign the veteran without constraints, and he could get the Suns' lowest veteran salary on a pro-rata basis, while enjoying the salary that the Nets paid to cut him.
Thaddeus Young was selected by the 76ers with the 12th pick in the '07 draft and began his career, having spent the last 17 seasons with the 76ers, Timberwolves, Nets, Pacers, Bulls, Spurs and Raptors, with the Suns set to be the eighth of his career. Although Thaddeus Young has reached the end of his career, considering the lack of depth in the Suns' front court, he still has the opportunity to play an important role in the Suns and become a reliable helper next to the Big Three to challenge for the championship together.