Should the Utah Jazz pursue Thaddeus Young if he hits free agency?

Indiana Pacers power forward Thaddeus Young could be available in free agency this summer. Would the Utah Jazz be wise to pursue him?

Recently my J-Notes colleague John Keeffer wrote an interesting piece observing the impending free agency of Utah Jazz forward/center Derrick Favors. In trying to make a plan of whether or not the Jazz should do all they can to hold onto Favs or look to replace him, John raised the question, “If not Favors, then who?”

It’s certainly a good question to ask before fans get too hasty presuming that maybe it’s time to move on from Favors. While a playmaking stretch-four has seemingly been on the Jazz wish list for quite some time, it’s important to consider all the factors of who the Jazz could realistically replace Favors with. And if they do replace him, would it really be an upgrade?

Of course, the Jazz may find themselves with no choice but to move on from Favors. He is an unrestricted free agent after all and could very well decide to join a new team. While personally I’d like to see D-Favs remain a member of the Jazz, for these intents and purposes let’s assume that either Favors chooses to move on from Utah or Utah chooses to move on from him.

If that ends up being the case, what then? Do they allow the likes of Jae Crowder and Thabo Sefolosha to simply fill the gap at the four? Or do they look to add some new blood in free agency?

If they went that second route, one name that could be intriguing for them to consider would be Indiana Pacers power forward Thaddeus Young. Young has a skill set and style that would seemingly make him an awesome fit for the Jazz, and the opportunity to pursue him became much more realistic this week as it was announced on Monday that Young is seriously considering declining his player option for the 2018-19 season.

Young fit seamlessly with the Indiana Pacers and was a key part of their shocking 2017-18 season. However, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowksi, Young is contemplating turning down his $13.7 million contract for next season to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Woj also mentioned that his motivation in doing so would be to pursue a long-term contract while in the prime of his career.

Some are surprised by this potential move because they question whether or not Young will receive offers that net him more money than what he would otherwise make this upcoming season. In a market that is strapped for cash, there’s a very good chance that Young may struggle to get more than the $13.7 million he was owed. Then again, perhaps he has an inside scoop or is OK taking somewhat less if it means he can get locked into the security of a long-term contract now.

Also, let’s not forget that he has yet to actually make the decision. The report that surfaced on Monday was simply that he is “seriously contemplating” opting out. He has until June 29th to make a choice and may very well decide to keep the safe money.

Even if Thad does opt out, he may also be doing so with the intention to stay with the Indiana Pacers. As I mentioned, he’s fit seamlessly there and has been an awesome piece both on the court and in the locker room for an exciting Indiana team. The Pacers also have ample cap space and could easily afford to retain him.

That, however, leads to yet another question. In some ways, Indiana’s situation with Young is similar to Utah’s with Favors. Sure, he’s been a great piece and they’d love to keep him, but both teams have to decide if keeping Young/Favors is what’s really going to help elevate them to the next level or if they’d be better off looking to make an upgrade at the four and using the money that would otherwise be wrapped up in the incumbent on a new player.

If Young gets the sense that the Pacers want to move on from him, potentially pursuing a younger playmaking four type such as restricted free agent Aaron Gordon to take his spot and match the timeline of the rest of their core, that could very well explain why he would want to opt out and hit unrestricted free agency. Of course, that’s merely some hypothetical speculation, I could also see Indy wanting to keep Thad around to preserve their chemistry that led to their over-achieving season.

But getting this back to the Jazz, if the reports hold true and Thad does indeed opt out, presumably with the thought of joining a new team rather than re-signing in Indy, should he be on Utah’s radar?

In terms of his personality and demeanor, it appears that he would be an excellent fit with the Jazz. He’s a team-first kind of guy that is willing to cede minutes and opportunities to others when necessary. He’s a hard worker and relentless hustler who would bring a solid edge to the Jazz.

He’s a versatile defender who the Jazz could switch onto multiple positions. He was great against Kevin Love in the first round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs and had good moments against LeBron James as well. He averaged nearly two steals per game this past season which is exceptional for a player his size. He’s also a pretty decent rebounder – he grabbed 6.3 per game last season – but certainly still has room to grow there.

Offensively, Thad isn’t a lights-out shooter from deep, but he is easily ahead of Favors in that regard and has the potential to be an ideal fit in Utah’s offense. He shot just 32 percent from deep this past season, but went an impressive 38.1 percent the season before. He certainly commands respect from the perimeter and if worked into Utah’s offense, he could become even more of a threat from long range.

Thad’s low free throw shooting percentage – he went just 59.8 percent this past season – is somewhat concerning. And at times he falls victim to missing easy shots at the rim, but there are several aspects of his game that I really like. I think he’d coexist extremely well alongside Rudy Gobert, would be absolutely selfless in terms of focusing on team success rather than his own numbers and has the potential to be a valuable stretch-four threat.

Now in terms of whether the Jazz should pursue him or not, these are my initial thoughts. First of all, his price and contract length would be a huge question. If he’s hoping to make more than $13.7 million on a long-term contract, then the Jazz might be wise to avoid taking on a sizable deal for a player that will soon be 30 years old.

Not only that, but I don’t feel like the Jazz should aim to let Favors go with the intention of signing Young. Young shouldn’t be viewed as a replacement for Favors, but rather as a backup plan in case Favors leaves. If the Jazz can’t re-sign Favors, then I’d be one hundred percent interested in them taking a long, hard look at Thad. After all, they’d need someone to make up for the loss of Favors’ production.

But if Utah was able to retain Favors, I’d say that’s a better plan than going for Young. There are things I like more about Thad’s game than Derrick’s, but he’s not enough of an upgrade for Utah to push out a younger guy in Favs who has developed an excellent chemistry and familiarity with this team and clearly plays his part well as a great fit.

If the Jazz were aiming to move on from Favors, I’d hope it would be to bring in someone a little more enticing and perhaps with a higher ceiling than Thad. On the other hand, if Favors left and Utah didn’t have a different replacement in mind, I’d be all for them then pursuing Young.

A lot remains to be determined this offseason before the Utah Jazz can start to make concrete plans. It will be absolutely intriguing to see what comes of Derrick Favors and depending on his decision, where the Jazz go from there. If Thaddeus Young joins the ranks of free agency, it will simply add yet another intriguing player for the Jazz to potentially pursue as they aim to take another leap forward towards title contention.

• Published on 06/12/2018 at 9:42 AM MDT
• Last updated on 06/12/2018 at 9:42 AM MDT