NBA Trade Rumors: Toronto Raptors interested in Thaddeus Young

According to the latest Toronto Raptors rumors, the team’s search to find an upgrade at power forward appears to have turned in direction of Thaddeus Young.

The Toronto Raptors have been linked with several power forwards over the last few weeks, including Markieff Morris, Kenneth Faried and Ryan Anderson. The latest report is an intriguing one, and it comes in the form of Brooklyn Nets power forward Thaddeus Young. The most recent report of this interest comes from Frank Isola of the New York Daily News:

Young is a 6-foot-8, 27-year-old power forward that has been in the league for eight years. He has made a reputation as a strong finisher and athletic defender. While he doesn’t have consistent three-point range (just 32 percent for his career), but he is more than capable of spacing the floor from mid-range.

He’s also proven to be a very efficient scorer, averaging 49.7 percent from the floor for his career and 51.3 percent this season. With the Nets shifting towards a rebuild, it appears that they are in the process of moving their older players such as Young and would likely look for either young players or picks in return.

With Young on a freshly signed four-year, $50 million deal, he is a valuable asset moving forward and a player a team like Toronto would likely be comfortable giving up some future assets in exchange for.

The Raptors have many assets at their disposal that could be used to net them Young in a deal. In terms of players, a combination of Patrick Patterson, Lucas Nogueira, James Johnson or Terrence Ross could be used in a package to get Young.

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If it’s picks the Nets desire, the Raptors have their own first-round picks to use, which won’t be too large of a sacrifice given the fact that the team will likely be towards the top of the Eastern Conference standings. They also receive the first-round pick of the Denver Nuggets or New York Knicks, depending on which is less desirable.

I think if the rumors are true and the Nets are really looking to trade Young, the Raptors should be very aggressive in trying to get a deal done. Young would provide them with a legitimate pick-and-roll threat that would help stabilize their starting rotation.

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While Young isn’t a big-time threat behind the arc, his ability as a scorer and a shooter from mid-range commands far more attention from opposing defense than Luis Scola or Patterson would ever require.

Once DeMarre Carroll returns, a starting rotation of Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, Carroll, Young and Jonas Valanciunas would have the potential to make serious waves in the Eastern Conference.

The only concern that I could see from the Raptors’ point of view would be sacrificing future assets for a player that isn’t a “star.” While that’s true, I believe Young would help maximize both Lowry and DeRozan in drawing attention off of them and shouldering part of the scoring load.

A move for a superstar would surely cost the Raptors some of their core in addition to their future assets, a price the team does not appear to be willing to pay at this time and certainly for the group of players available on the market.

If the team did want to make such a move in the future, Young could be a valuable asset in facilitating such a move as he is in his prime and on a very reasonable contract. If they don’t pursue such a move he would still be a valuable player for Toronto moving forward.

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In my eyes this would be a low downside move that could solidify Toronto as the second-best team in the East and narrow the gap between them and the Cleveland Cavaliers. As long as the Nets are not asking for too much in return, it would be a worthwhile move for the Raptors.