A couple of weeks ago, the Toronto Raptors cut ties with their veteran forward, Thaddeus Young. At the NBA’s 2024 trade deadline, two Philadelphia 76ers rivals, the Toronto Raptors, and the Brooklyn Nets, engaged in a trade, which swapped several veterans.
The Raptors landed the veteran guard Spencer Dinwiddie. Meanwhile, the Nets picked up Young and the guard Dennis Schroder. While Brooklyn will keep the 30-year-old Schroder on the roster for the time being, Young was waived on the same day.
The move didn’t come as a surprise for Young, who turns 36 after the end of the 2023-2024 NBA season. As a veteran role player, Young carries value to a team that's competing for a title. With the Nets sitting at 21-33 and firing their head coach this week, it’s clear Brooklyn has not established themselves as a contender in their post-superteam-era.
This week, Young found his next move. As expected, he’ll join a contender, landing in the Western Conference with the Kevin Durant, Devin Booker-led Phoenix Suns, according to AZ Central's Duane Rankin.
Young leaves the Eastern Conference for the first time since the 2021-2022 season, when he was traded by the San Antonio Spurs to the Raptors.
While Young has bounced around the league a lot over the years, he got his start in the NBA by carving out a decent role for himself on the Sixers. After getting selected by Philly 12th overall in the 2007 NBA Draft, Young averaged 21 minutes in his rookie effort. By year two, he was a full-time starter.
In 516 games with the Sixers, Young averaged 14 points and six rebounds while shooting 50 percent from the field. Following his first seven seasons with the Sixers, Young then bounced around and played for six different teams.
By joining the Suns for the remainder of the 2023-2024 NBA season, Young joins his seventh organization since 2007. He carries 57 games worth of playoff experience to Phoenix.
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