3 best roster moves the Raptors have made in 2021-22 season
By Mike Luciano
2. Getting Thad Young for Goran Dragic
Even if Dragic managed to play rather than leave the team, the odds of him lasting past the trade deadline were always going to be small. In acquiring Young, the Raptors were able to get an established veteran and proven scorer that fits Nurse’s scheme perfectly.
Young has averaged 8.5 points and 3.7 rebounds per game in his short Raptors career. Even after a rough first half against the Nets, Young proved his value by closing the game out with some timely shooting and solid defensive play. Some might say he’s redundant, but he’s outplayed much of Toronto’s expansive cast of characters off of the bench.
Thad Young is playing well for the Toronto Raptors.
Young is a free agent at the end of this season, but he is setting the stage for a potential return in 2022. Chris Boucher is also going to hit the open market. Toronto could strengthen their commitment to Nurse’s scheme by adding a veteran presence that should provide stability for a very young team.
While some Raptors fans don’t like how they gave up a first-round pick to get him, they need to realize that no one was taking Dragic without that pick in tow. With Young on the squad and a very high second-round pick coming back, Ujiri did a very solid job getting someone of value for the disgruntled veteran.