Pacers Acquire Thaddeus Young From Nets

Isaiah J. Downing/USA TODAY Sports Images

Isaiah J. Downing/USA TODAY Sports Images

JULY 7: The swap sending Young to the Pacers in exchange for the rights to No. 20 overall pick Caris LeVert and a future second-round pick is now official, according to a Nets press release.

JUNE 23: The Pacers have agreed to acquire Thaddeus Young from the Nets in exchange for the No. 20 overall pick in tonight’s NBA draft and a future protected second-rounder, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (on Twitter). The scribe had reported earlier that several Western Conference teams had been aggressively pursuing Young, who Brooklyn was looking to deal to the highest bidder in an effort to land a first round pick, which it nabbed from Indiana in the swap.

This is the second big  move by Indiana in the past two days, with the team landing point guard Jeff Teague from Atlanta in a three-team trade on Wednesday. It certainly appears that team executive Larry Bird is serious about retooling his squad for new coach Nate McMillan.

For Brooklyn, flipping Young for a first-rounder clearly signals that the franchise is shifting into full-rebuild mode. Given the Nets’ lack of talent, it is a bit puzzling why they would give up on Young, who is under contract for three more seasons at a fairly reasonable rate. Young, 28,  is slated to earn $12,078,652 next season, $12,921,348 in 2017/18 and $13,764,045 the final year.

In 73 appearances for Brooklyn this past season, Young averaged 15.1 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 33.0 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .514/.233/.644.

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