3. Thaddeus Young
Thaddeus Young was included in the sign-and-trade deal with the San Antonio Spurs that landed DeMar DeRozan on the Chicago Bulls. The Lakers were reportedly also in on DeRozan, which would make a potential Young signing come full circle.
Young was a quality veteran for the Chicago Bulls last season. He still contributed as a solid rotation player and he was viewed to be a quality, experienced veteran in this San Antonio rotation. Instead, he has not played much.
Young is averaging only 13.2 minutes per game this season for the Spurs, so his averages are obviously down. The Spurs don’t seem to have a place for Young in the rotation and would rather play the younger players in the rotation.
This does not bode well if the Spurs want to flip Young for anything at the deadline. With a small role on the Spurs and a $14 million contract, the most likely outcome for Young this season appears to be a buyout that lands him on a contender.
Remember when I said that the Lakers’ goal should be to play Davis at the five as much as possible? This accomplishes that. While Carmelo Anthony has been great as a catch-and-shoot three-point shooter, the Lakers do not have a traditional four behind Davis.
That is fine in the crunch time lineup as Davis can play the five, LeBron can play the four and Melo can play the three. However, not everything is a crunch time lineup and during the playoffs, there should be times when Davis is at the five and LeBron is not on the floor.
Enter Thaddeus Young, who can give the Lakers a traditional player to put at the four without sacrificing too much defensively. Young is not a defensive menace by any means, but he is better in the post and near the rim than Carmelo.