Indiana Pacers power forward Thaddeus Young is exercising his $13.7 million player option to stay in Indy, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski:
Indiana Pacers forward Thaddeus Young has exercised his $13.7M player option and will bypass free agency this summer, league sources told ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 28, 2018
This move isn’t exactly an unexpected one, as $13.7 million is a nice price for a player of Young’s caliber, and there’s not too much money on the market this summer.
Young and the Pacers had a surprisingly encouraging 2017-18 campaign, led by Most Improved Player Victor Oladipo. The Pacers vastly outperformed expectations, going 48-34 and taking the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the first round of the playoffs.
Young, who turned 30 on June 21, averaged 11.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 32.2 minutes per contest over the course of 81 games (all starts).
Young, a lefty, is a skilled power forward who contributes on both ends of the floor. At 6 feet, 8 inches, he doesn’t tower over fellow power forwards, but makes up for it with his brute strength and crafty skillset. He’s not a great outside shooter, but is good enough to be considered a threat (32 percent on 2.2 3-point attempts per game last season). Young is a versatile player who would fit on most teams.
