THE FLATS – Thaddeus Young trade talk heats up as trade deadline approaches … Josh Okogie becomes subject of some trade talk … Jose Alvarado gets career high for Pelicans … Moses Wright with a double-double … more in this week’s #ProJackets Report.
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YOUNG TRADE TALK HEATS UP AS DEADLINE APPROACHES
The NBA trade deadline is Feb. 10 and judging from recent stories, NBA writers would really like the Phoenix Suns to trade for the San Antonio Spurs’ Thaddeus Young.
Young has been linked to Phoenix by some reporters all season, but the speculation is heating up as the trade deadline approaches.
Some NBA writers think the versatile Spurs big man would be the perfect fit with the Suns, with a few speculating that he could be the piece that pushes Phoenix over the top in its quest to win the NBA title.
VOTE: Should the #Suns trade for #Spurs big man Thaddeus Young? (Speculation swirls: https://t.co/KYHV0ee47B) @azcentral #NBAtradedeadline
— azcentral sports (@azcsports) February 1, 2022
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YOUNG TALKS BULLS TENURE, TRADE TO SPURS
Fifteen minutes passed, then 20. And still, Thad Young kept putting up shots after the Spurs’ Friday morning shootaround, working himself into a lather.
It likely will represent Young’s most strenuous workload of the day since he’s on the outside of the rotation looking in at the Spurs’ youth movement and rebuilding effort. Acquired in the sign-and-trade that sent DeMar DeRozan to the Bulls, Young is averaging 13.8 minutes, the lowest of his 15-year career.
It’s in sharp contrast to the role Young played last season with the Bulls, particularly before they traded for Nikola Vučević and Daniel Theis. Young arguably posted one of his best seasons as Billy Donovan ran offense through him. His 4.3 assists represented a career-high and earned him the nickname “Thadgic Johnson” from NBC Sports Chicago analyst Stacey King.
After his workout, Young pulled up a padded folding chair with a Spurs logo on it and talked about his two seasons with the Bulls, his impressions of this season’s team and how much longer he plans to play.
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ALVARADO TALKS CAREER NIGHT IN TOUGH LOSS
New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado postgame interview following the Pelicans game vs. the Boston Celtics (1/29/2022). Jose scored a career-high 19 points, leading all Pelicans in scoring.
Fearless Jose Alvarado!!! 🤌pic.twitter.com/NPPoKJUxS0
— Pelicans Nation (@PelsNationCP) January 30, 2022
Jose Alvarado speaks with the media after practice this afternoon.#WBD | @Verizon pic.twitter.com/SMvoY7UzVn
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) February 3, 2022
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OKOGIE DRAWS TRADE TALK
Celtics swingman Josh Richardson and Timberwolves swingman Josh Okogie are among the wing options the Jazz have discussed as they weigh their trade options, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported on HoopsHype’s latest podcast.
Okogie, who is shooting a career-worst 35.6% from the floor in just 12.7 minutes per contest (32 games) in 2021/22, will be a free agent at season’s end and is likely viewed as a fallback option for Utah. The former first-round pick is earning just $4.1MM and is a solid defender, but won’t contribute much on offense and probably can’t be counted on to play a significant role on a contending team. He has been in and out of Minnesota’s rotation this season.
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WRIGHT PUTS UP DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Moses Wright recorded 22 points (8-13 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 4-6 FT), 12 rebounds, two assists and two blocks across 38 minutes in last Thursday’s win over Iowa.
Wright has struggled in terms of consistency at times, but he managed to be one of three Agua Caliente players that scored at least 20 points in this victory. The former Georgia Tech standout continues to produce at both ends of the court for Agua Caliente.
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BOSH SPEAKS OUT AGAINST NFL HIRING PRACTICES
Former Miami Heat star Chris Bosh says he is done watching NFL games until he sees more black head coaches on their sidelines.
Bosh expressed his disappointment in the league on Monday via his newsletter “The Last Chip”, accusing NFL owners of the mistreatment of black coaches in comparison to their white colleagues.
The recent firing of Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores left many scratching their heads, including Bosh.
“Watching the way the NFL is treating black coaches has me pissed off,” Bosh said. “Plain and simple. Until they fix this, I cannot keep spending my weekends supporting the league.”
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