PACERS

Insider: Acquiring Young gives Pacers strong starting lineup

Nate Taylor
nate.taylor@indystar.com
Brooklyn Nets forward Thaddeus Young (30) in the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 4, 2016, in Denver. Brooklyn won 121-120 in overtime. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Thaddeus Young spent Tuesday celebrating his 28th birthday. Although he had spent much of the last two seasons with the lowly Brooklyn Nets, Young was still optimistic about his future. That future, however, became even brighter Thursday afternoon when Young was informed he would become teammates with Paul George, Myles Turner, Monta Ellis and others next season.

For the second consecutive day, the Indiana Pacers agreed to a trade with the intentions of being more competitive in the Eastern Conference. The Pacers will acquire Young from the Nets for the 20th overall pick in Thursday’s NBA draft and a future second-round pick. The deal, which cannot be consummated until July 7, after the NBA’s moratorium period for salary-cap purposes, was confirmed by two IndyStar sources.

Details of the trade were first reported by Yahoo Sports.

Neither team would confirm the deal, although general manager Kevin Pritchard spoke at a news conference early Friday morning that was ostensibly held to discuss the Pacers’ draft pick, Iowa State’s Georges Niang, whom the team selected with the 50th pick. Pritchard mostly batted away questions about the trade but acknowledged it in an indirect way by smiling when he made a short comment about team president Larry Bird.

“My boss is pretty crafty,” Pritchard said.

The trade should help thrust the Pacers into contention in the Eastern Conference to challenge the Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat.

The move also solidified what appeared to be the final hole remaining in the staring lineup. Young, a nine-year veteran, is expected to be the Pacers’ power forward next to center Myles Turner. Those two in the frontcourt will be joined with George, Ellis and Jeff Teague, the elite point guard the Pacers acquired in a three-team trade Wednesday.

Young’s skills fit exactly what Bird wants for this revamped roster. As a veteran, Young will be an aggressive rebounder who can make shots from the perimeter. He is also capable of keeping up with his new teammates in the open court in the up-tempo offense that Bird prefers. Young is not considered an elite scorer, but he will be a quality scoring option next to George, Turner and Teague. He could also be valuable to the Pacers as a defender who can guard multiple positions.

Last season, Young averaged 15.1 points and a career-high 9 rebounds in 73 games.

“Overall for the day, we feel great,” Pritchard said. “We really do.”

A source familiar with the trade said Young was eager to continue to his career with the Pacers. He thanked the Nets on his Twitter account, but also sent a post that displayed his excitement for the opportunity in Indiana. Later Thursday night, Young's wife posted a photo on Instagram of him smiling while wearing a Pacers ball cap.

“Looking forward to new journeys with the @Pacers and the fans,” Young wrote on his Twitter account. “Can’t wait to get started.”

In the last two seasons, Young was a major contributor for the Nets, a team that was one of the worst in the league. The Nets agreed to trade Young and his three-year, $36 million contract to create more salary cap space for free agency. The Nets are also expected to play younger players in Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Chris McCullough as part of their long rebuilding process.

Despite their two newest additions in Teague and Young, the Pacers should still be able to stay competitive in the free agency period. Bird could have as much as $30 million to spend in free agency to add talent if players such as Solomon Hill, Jordan Hill and Ian Mahinmi do not resign with the team as expected.

“It’s important for us to have players that can make plays for themselves but also make plays for other players,” Pritchard said of Bird’s goal to develop the roster. “I think we accomplished that. I don’t think we’re done. We got to get to July 1 and start talking about free agency and that’s going to be a hyper competitive situation.”

By trading for Young, the Pacers were able to acquire a power forward who is experienced, established and still relatively young. In a draft that many analysts considered to be a weak after the lottery, Bird prioritized getting a player who can contribute next season over a young prospect with the 20th pick who might never develop into a commodity.

The trade for Young, in essence though, significantly dampened much of the buzz surrounding the draft for the Pacers since they did not have a first round pick when the event started Thursday night. But Bird was able to complete a starting lineup that should make the Pacers a better team from the one that won 45 games last season.

Call Star reporter Nate Taylor at (317) 444-6484. Follow him on Twitter: @ByNateTaylor.

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