Clippers Trade Talk: L.A.’s NBA trade deadline targets
By Tom West
Thaddeus Young
The Brooklyn Nets probably aren’t the first team you’d think of when searching for players the Clippers need to pursue. There are plenty of reasons why they have the third worst record in the NBA, with their severe lack of talent being right at the forefront. Meanwhile, the front office has well and truly dug them a hole. But that’s a story for another time.
Nevertheless, the Nets have some notable pieces in their frontcourt, with their starting power forward being a very worthwhile player for the Clippers to inquire about.
Thaddeus Young is worth some interest, with the kind of athleticism, size and length at 6’8″ with a seven-foot wingspan to be a far better physical presence at the four than Paul Pierce. The Truth has been showing the results of father time a lot this season, although since shooting an improved 36.3 percent from three-point range since Griffin’s absence began, his poor defense has been the glaring issue.
Of course, when Blake eventually returns, Pierce won’t need to be starting or used so frequently at power forward. For the sake of the Clippers’ success, that will be the case. However, the depth of the frontcourt is lacking, and Young can address this and some of the team’s other weaknesses.
At 27 (a full 11 years younger than Pierce), Young has far more lateral quickness and explosiveness when rotating on defense. While Pierce knows when to switch coverages and when to come over to help, Young not only has the know-how but the quickness to do so. Pierce just gets outmatched in the paint whether it’s in post-up situations, closing off drivers to the basket or rebounding, and the Clippers need to make a change if possible.
Young is averaging a career-high 9.1 rebounds per game this season (10 per 36 minutes) and is still one of the best power forwards when it comes to steals with 1.5 a night. Even though he isn’t the best low-post defender himself, he’s still better than Pierce. And from distance, he even holds opponents to shoot five percent worse than normal from three-point range (per NBA.com). Offensively, he also has a solid mid-range jumper and can drive fairly well when he puts the ball on the floor, too.
Again, the Clippers’ best bet to acquire Young will be a deal involving Stephenson or Jamal Crawford. The option to waive away Lance’s $9 million salary should be enticing for the Nets who need to make moves in free agency to improve. Alternatively, they may just want to start blowing up their troubled roster and acquire a proven scorer like Crawford or a young shooter like Wilcox.
On talent and current production alone, Stephenson hasn’t been able to prove himself on level with Young in such a limited role this season. However, if there’s one team in need of making changes, it’s the Nets.
To add frontcourt depth, defense and rebounding, Young addresses three of the Clippers’ main weaknesses.
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