Would Thaddeus Young be a viable trade target for Milwaukee Bucks?

The Milwaukee Bucks have shown that they are not afraid to be aggressive when it comes to tweaking their roster. That has particularly been the case recently as the front office has been busy by signing three new players in DeMarcus Cousins, Javonte Smart, and Wesley Matthews throughout the past week. General manager Jon Horst is always looking for ways to patch up holes on this roster, and perhaps he could find some success with a trade.

The NBA trade deadline is still several months away, but fans have already started speculating which players they would like to see the champs make a run at. One proposal that caught some attention came from Kousha Kangarloo of Clutch Points, who listed the Bucks as one of the three teams he believes should make a run at big man Thaddeus Young before the deadline.

Young is a player of interest for many teams right now as he has expressed frustration with his current role with the San Antonio Spurs, saying on The Alex Kennedy Podcast, “This situation is not ideal for me.” Young is currently averaging the fewest minutes in his career at 15.5 per game. As trade rumors continue to mount, the Bucks will likely be mentioned in the conversation along with a slew of other teams as Young could be one of the best targets on the trade market before the deadline.

Should the Milwaukee Bucks try to trade for Thaddeus Young?

Regarding fit, a trade for Young makes perfect sense for the Bucks. The team will be without their starting center in Brook Lopez for a significant amount of time after he recently underwent a back procedure. This back issue has limited Lopez to just one game this season, leaving Milwaukee very thin in the frontcourt. Aside from Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis, the other two bigs on the roster are rookie second round draft selection Sandro Mamukelashvili and the recently signed Cousins. Adding more size would be a reasonable move for the Bucks, and Young would be a great fit for the defending champions’ frontcourt rotation.

At 6-foot-8, 235lbs, Young would give Milwaukee another big body to utilize. There have been a handful of games this season where the Bucks have been outright dominated in the rebounding department or in the paint because the opposition has exploited their lack of size down low. The Bucks have been better at handling this predicament, but a player like Young would help ensure this issue does not resurface down the line. He would bring another hulking presence down low that plays robust defense and can haul in rebounds, two things the Bucks will need.

Offensively, Young has always been a solid player as he has averaged double figures in 12 of his 14 NBA seasons. Yet, his fit with Milwaukee would be questionable to some degree as Young has never been a great 3-point shooter, an attribute the team always considers with potential targets. The Bucks would not be relying on Young for his offense if this were ever to happen, but it would be an added bonus if he could knock down a few triples. Still, the reward here – Young’s size and defense – would outweigh the risk when it comes to that shot.

While Young would be a great trade target for the Bucks, the biggest problem in any hypothetical deal starts with his massive salary for this season. Young is making an expiring $14.2 million this year, which makes it difficult for the Bucks to make a move without including one of their crucial core pieces. It is possible to piece together a  different package, but the Spurs would also have to be willing to accept said package. It just seems like an unlikely scenario.

If this frustration continues for Young, perhaps a buyout could occur down the line. That would be a much easier pathway for the Bucks to bring in the 33-year-old veteran. Who knows how things will transpire in San Antonio, but fans should keep an eye on Young’s situation.

He would undeniably bolster the Milwaukee Bucks’ title chances.