Suns Officially Sign ‘Highly Respected Veteran’ Thaddeus Young

The Phoenix Suns have officially signed forward Thaddeus Young, general manager James Jones announced in a statement. Young is believed to have received a contract for the rest of the season.

“Thad is a highly respected veteran player who makes us a better team in our pursuit of winning an NBA Championship,” Jones said. “Thad is extremely intelligent and plays with a competitive intensity. His size and defensive abilities add versatility to our roster.”

The Toronto Raptors traded Young to the Brooklyn Nets at the NBA trade deadline. The Nets waived Young, allowing the veteran to sign with the Suns. 

Young is averaging 5.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists this season while shooting 62.1% from the field, 16.7% from beyond the arc and 41.7% from the free-throw line. 

The Suns are 31-22. They are in sixth place in the Western Conference standings. With Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal leading the way, Phoenix is 12th in the NBA in points per game (117.4).

Durant is averaging 28.3 points on the season, Booker is averaging 28.0 points and Beal is averaging 18.7 points. The Suns are 15th in the NBA in points per game allowed (114.4). 

Young, 35, has career averages of 12.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists with the Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Nets, Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs and Raptors. He’s been in the NBA since 2007. 

A Georgia Tech product, Young has appeared in 57 playoff games with the Sixers, Nets, Pacers and Raptors. He has career postseason averages of 9.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists. 

Ashish Mathur contributed to this report.