NBA season preview: 5 players most likely to be traded this season

5. Thaddeus Young, San Antonio Spurs

After waiving LaMarcus Aldridge in March and losing veterans DeMar DeRozan, Rudy Gay and Patty Mills in free agency, the San Antonio Spurs are retooling if not rebuilding.

That makes 33-year-old forward Thaddeus Young a questionable long-term fit in San Antonio.

The Chicago Bulls sent Young to the Spurs as part of their sign-and-trade for DeRozan. He’s earning $14.2 million this year and will become an unrestricted free agent next summer, at which point he figures to join a team closer to championship contention.

Contenders have “already inquired about” Young, according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, who deemed him an “obvious trade candidate.” Shams Charania of The Athletic reported the Phoenix Suns are “among the contenders who have pursued” him, and he said the Spurs were “expected to receive strong interest in the veteran forward from competitive teams.”

If the Spurs are toward the bottom of the Western Conference standings leading up to the trade deadline, it would behoove them to take the best offer for Young. The odds of him sticking around past this season seem minimal at best.