Phoenix Suns acquired veteran wing Thaddeus Young, who has the third-most games played among active players (Chris Paul, LeBron James) via the buyout market.

Young is someone the Suns have wanted for many years because of his length and versatility. A 6-foot-8 forward, Young averaged 5.0 points in 15.2 minutes for the Toronto Raptors prior to his release from the Brooklyn Nets, who he did not play for.

Young's signing was announced via press release Tuesday afternoon. What did Suns general manager James Jones say about Young, who will occupy the 14th roster spot?

“Thad is a highly-respected player who makes us a better team in our pursuit of winning an NBA championship,” he said.

Young is a recipient of the 2021 NBA Hustle Award. In the campaign with the Chicago Bulls, Young averaged 12.1 points on 55.9 percent shooting and a career-best 4.3 assists along with 6.2 rebounds per contest. He played 68 games, which is the most he has appeared in a single season since 2019-20.

Young is someone the Suns can expect to back up forward Kevin Durant, and in the case of an injury, start. If the Suns have a small rotation, Young can play at the four or five.

Phoenix also recently traded for Royce O'Neale, who has made an immediate impact. O'Neale and Young have each started in 25-plus postseason games (O'Neale 29, Young 33).

ClutchPoints' Trevor Booth wrote an analysis story of Young, who is a lefty and can force defenses into uncomfortable spots because he forces them to play one-on-one defense the opposite way.

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Can Young impact the Suns? Phoenix is 33-22, good for fifth in the West, with Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Young in charge.

Phoenix is looking to make a push toward the top of the Western Conference, being six games behind the first-place Minnesota Timberwolves. The Suns have been the best regular-season and postseason group since the 2020 bubble but are yet to win a championship.

“Thad is extremely intelligent and plays with a competitive intensity,” Jones said. “His size and defensive abilities add versatility to our roster.”