Dallas Mavericks Offseason: Thaddeus Young A Fit?

Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Mavericks will look to improve a roster that finished 49-33 this past season.

One of the tasks will be finding a new starting small forward to replace Shawn Marion who can compliment Dirk Nowitzki and Monta Ellis.

The free agent market doesn’t offer much behind Luol Deng and Trevor Ariza, so I’ve explored possible trade targets.

We’ve been lucky to have Drew Corrigan (@Dcorrigan50) of TheSixerSense.com answer questions regarding Philadelphia 76ers forward Thaddeus Young. Young is coming off his best season, averaging 17.9 points, 6 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game. At only 25, Young would be a great young piece for the Mavs to consider if he becomes obtainable.

The Smoking Cuban: Thad Young, 25, is the “wily vet” for this young and rebuilding 76ers team, any chance you see them trying to trade the combo forward during the offseason? If so, what would it take to pry him away from Philly?

Drew Corrigan: Yes, yes and yes. Young has been in trade rumors ever since last summer and this summer will be no different. His value is at its peak right now after a career season, which showed his versatility as he hit the three ball at a consistent rate. It dropped off towards the end of the season, but early in the season, Young was hitting them at a 40 percent clip. Thaddeus has a player option for 2015 and it’s known in most Sixer’s circle that he’s most likely going to be on the move at the trade deadline. No one knows where he really fits in with the new group coming in and Philly will move him in order to jump up a few spots in the lottery.

With that being said, it will take a first-round pick in this year’s draft to get him away from Philly. It could be as high as the No. 8 pick, or the Sixers could package Thaddeus and a second-round pick to move back into the first-round. He’s great trade bait, because he’s so versatile and could impact a contending team from the jump. The most popular trade scenario I’m hearing is sending Thaddeus Young and the 10^th overall pick to Sacramento for the 8^th overall pick. Anything to move up a couple slots in this draft. The difference between a Noah Vonleh and Garry Harris is substantial.

TSC: What does Young offer to a contending team?

DC: What doesn’t he offer, really? I’ve had the chance to get to know Thaddeus Young off the court, from his various charity events and he’s an all-around amazing person. He endured the toughest season of his career, seeing his fellow veterans (Turner and Hawes) get shipped to different places, while he continued to stay in Philly. There will never be a problem with Young off the court, which is important.

On the court, no one can match Young’s tenacious play and energy. He’s a garbage pail guy. It was so amazing to watch him play this season, seriously. I saw this man DIVE for a loose ball when this team was down 20 points in a game. That sentence alone should speak volumes to what this guy can bring. He’s never had any plays ran for him and he always finds a way to impact the game. He can shoot it from deep and take it to the rack. Plus, his intangibles are a lost art of the game. Being a “tweener”, he can really exploit some power forwards on the offensive end, because he’s way too quick from them. Thaddeus Young could really be the piece that could move a contending team to the next level.

TSC: What does he need to improve on?

DC: This is a hard question, because he’s eight years into his career. Even if there was something to change, it’s hard to get someone to change this late in their careers. With that being said, he would have to adjust from going back to being just a piece after being one of the main offensive options in Philly last season. However, I don’t see this being a problem. For his first seven years in Philly, he was a third or fourth option that created opportunities from broken plays and crashing the boards. This is why this guy is so special; he knows how to succeed without being the vocal point of an offense. His shooting from deep dipped down towards the end of the season, but he was really lighting it up from deep during the first half of the season. A little more consistency from deep would be nice, but he’s still a threat from three regardless.

TSC: The Mavericks are in the market for a small forward. Luol Deng and Trevor Ariza are the biggest names mentioned. Where would you rank Young compared to those two?

DC: That’s tough. Luol Deng is an All-Star caliber player, but really fell off after being traded to Cleveland. Trevor Ariza had an amazing season with the Wizards and is definitely in the market for some good money. However, I like Thaddeus Young. Call it bias, that’s fine. I’ve watched this guy his whole career, hundreds upon hundreds of games. He can literally fit in any role that any team asks him too. He can put up 17 and 8 or can be a hustle guy that comes off the bench. He came off the bench for most of his career, so that’s nothing new for him. However, the Mavericks would have to give up some pieces for him, where Deng and Ariza are on the market. I’d give Deng the advantage in defense, which is an area that the Mavericks needs help in.

TSC: Do you believe Young would be a good fit next to Dirk Nowitzki and Monta Ellis as a starting SF?

DC: Without a doubt. I’ve echoed it many times, so most of you get the point by now. Thaddeus Young can fit into any role that’s offered to him. Nowitzki and Ellis would carry the bulk of the scoring and Young would be that insane guy crashing the boards and jumping into the stands after Ellis throws up a crazy shot. He doesn’t require the ball to be effective and his hustle/energy are unmatched in the NBA. Throwing him alongside two All-Star caliber players would be special to watch.

Drew Corrigan is the editor over at TheSixerSense.com, and writer for a various amount of other venues that no one cares about besides him. You can follow him on twitter, @Dcorrigan50, He loves talking about the game of basketball and would love to discuss it with you.