Should the Raptors sign Thad Young for 2022-23 and beyond?

The Toronto Raptors welcomed a veteran forward with switchability into their ranks when they acquired Thad Young from the San Antonio Spurs in a deal that saw them part ways with Goran Dragic and a first-round pick. Young was ostracized from a rebuilding Spurs team, but he should fit in nicely with Toronto.

While Masai Ujiri made this trade because he believes his style of play will help bolster the bench, Toronto did end up retaining his Bird rights. This means that the Raptors can pay him extra in free agency if they are impressed by his 30-game stint as the regular season finishes up.

The Raptors may have all five of their starters under contract for the 2022-23 season, but several bench pieces will hit the open market. Young and Chris Boucher are both scheduled to be free agents, leaving Ujiri and Bobby Webster wondering if they should retain either of them.

If Young proves to be a solid fit for the Raptors from both a schematic and leadership point of view, should they take a risk on giving him a multi-year deal in 2022-23? Is it worth making him a part of the bench for the next few seasons?

Should the Toronto Raptors give Thad Young a multi-year contract?

Pros

The Raptors have the league’s worst bench, and Young averaged 13.5 points per game over his last 13 seasons in the league. He’s been a consistent bucket-getter in this league for a long time, and that should help him become an impact presence on the struggling second unit.

While pessimists might criticize the Raptors’ roster as flawed, optimists will claim that Ujiri is executing on his vision of a positionless team that emphasizes length and strength. Young can do that while providing more immediate offensive returns than players like Precious Achiuwa or Dalano Banton.

Thad Young should fit what the Toronto Raptors want to do.

While Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam have championship experience, this is still a young team with no player other than Young older than 30. Having Young around players like Scottie Barnes, Gary Trent Jr, and whomever the Raptors add in the draft will be an invaluable asset.

He might not be a player of Turner’s caliber, but Young could be an ideal bench piece that reinforces the starters, makes plays with the second unit, and slides into Nurse’s system. Not only could Young play well off the bench, but he might return to the team on a somewhat cheap contract.