Written by Jim Ayello at Indy Star.com
Larry Bird keeps on wheeling and dealing.
A day after acquiring point guard Jeff Teague, the Pacers President traded the No. 20 overall pick in tonight’s NBA Draft and a future second round pick to the Brooklyn Nets for forward Thad Young
Young, listed at 6-8, 221 pounds, is expected to immediately step into the Pacers’ starting lineup, joining the front court alongside Myles Turner and Paul George.
Here are eight more things to know about Bird’s latest acquisition:
1. The bio
Young is a 28-year-old power forward who was born in New Orleans and played his high school ball in Memphis, Tenn., where he was a McDonald’s All-American.
Young played one season at Georgia Tech before being drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers at No. 12 overall in the 2007 NBA Draft. He spent seven seasons in Philadelphia, with the last being his best. He averaged a career high 17.9 points and 6.0 rebounds per game during the 2013-14 season.
During the summer of 2014, the 76ers made him part of the massive three-team deal that sent Kevin Love to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Young landed with the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he spent a most of one season before being traded to the Nets for Kevin Garnett. Last season with the Nets, he averaged 15.1 points and a career-best 9.0 rebounds her game.
His career per-game averages: 13.9 points and 5.9 rebounds.
Young has three years remaining on the four-year, $54 million contract he signed last July. He is set to make $14.1 million this season, $14.7 million the year after, and $13.7 million in the final year of the contract. The Pacers are obliged to pay all but $3.75 million of the contract, which the Nets owe Young as part of a trade bonus clause in his contract.
2. Forward caught off guard?
Less than a week ago, SBNation wrote a story in which Young said Nets brass had tasked him with trying to recruit free agents. “I definitely have” been charged with recruiting players Young said earlier this offseason. “I’m not at liberty to say who, but we definitely want top-tier guys, and we definitely want key guys, key aspects of what we need to win basketball games — which is a point guard and a wing.” The article went on to say that members of the Nets’ staff, including new coach Kenny Atkinson, regarded him as a team leader and someone to build around.
It might have come as surprise to him, then, to learn that the Nets were shopping him on Thursday.
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