Thaddeus Young Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Rumors: Smith, ‘Melo, Young

January 15th, 2014 at 6:31pm CST by Chuck Myron

J.R. Smith expressed his displeasure both during and after Monday’s game to Mike Woodson, who had decided against starting him for overtime that night, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Smith was late for a meeting Tuesday, sources told Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com, and Woodson benched him for the entirety of last night’s game. Begley hears Smith is still angry at the team for waiving his brother last month. Still, Woodson said today on The Stephen A. Smith and Ryan Ruocco Show on ESPN New York 98.7 that he’s not “kicking J.R. to the curb,” and that he’ll remain a “big part” of the club, Berman notes. Here’s more from the Atlantic Division on the day that Smith and six others become eligible to be traded.

Woodson also said on radio that he’s “concerned” that the events of this season might lead Carmelo Anthony to sign elsewhere, but the coach nonetheless believes Anthony will play for the Knicks his entire career, Newsday’s Al Iannazzone observes.
The Sixers are ramping up discussions with other teams about potential Thaddeus Young trades, and executives around the league consider it a “lock” that they’ll try to trade Evan Turner, writes Grantland’s Zach Lowe in a piece on today’s three-team swap.
The Warriors reportedly passed on Kyle Lowry because they were worried he’d be a poor fit for their locker room, but the Raptors point guard tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News that he’s unaware of how the team would get that impression.
Nerlens Noel has been medically cleared to play, and while Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com hears he could make his NBA debut in four to six weeks, Sixers coach Brett Brown says there’s no such timetable, and that he still may sit out the season, notes Tom Moore of Calkins Media (Twitter link).
Conversely, Jason Richardson says there’s a “good chance” he’ll come back from injury to play for the Sixers this season, Moore tweets.
The Sixers recalled Lorenzo Brown from the D-League today, one day after sending him down, the team announced via Twitter. He had 22 points and eight assists for the Delaware 87ers last night.
Rajon Rondo‘s brief trip to the D-League today didn’t involve any travel, as the Maine Red Claws came to the Celtics practice facility in Waltham, Massachusetts, to practice with him, as Chris Mannix of SI.com explains (on Twitter).

Trade Candidate: Thaddeus Young

January 13th, 2014 at 9:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Thaddeus Young is having a career year, having revived a dormant three-point stroke that’s helping him average a career high 17.8 points a game. He’s also at or near high watermarks in rebounding, assists, steals and blocks. Any team in the NBA would love to have the 25-year-old, as an NBA executive recently told Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News. Still, Young needn’t have his bags packed. A unnamed GM who spoke to ESPN’s Chris Broussard at the start of the season pointed to Young’s contract as an impediment to a swap, saying he didn’t know any team that would relinquish anything of value to trade for him.

The deal runs through 2015/16 with average salaries of $8.6MM. The escalating raises in the deal mean he’ll make more than $9.4MM in 2014/15 and more than $9.9MM in the final season of the pact. Young’s strong performance might have changed a few minds around the league, but it doesn’t sound like it’s going to be easy for GM Sam Hinkie to find a deal that works for the Sixers.

Young’s “soft” trade request last month probably exacerbates that challenge, as do his comments indicating a lack of enthusiasm for playing with inexperienced teammates. Rival executives who sense that Young is putting pressure on the Sixers to deal him probably feel as though their offers for the power forward needn’t be too strong. Hinkie said late this summer that he didn’t find it necessary to deal away Young or any of his other veterans, but a more recent report indicated the Sixers were heavily shopping Young. Even as the former 12th overall pick laughs off the assertion that he’s disgruntled with the Sixers, Young’s attitude could worsen if he remains a part of a long-term rebuilding effort.

The Rockets were linked to Young when they were aggressively shopping Omer Asik last month, and such a one-for-one swap would make some degree of sense from Houston’s perspective. Young, as long as his 39.3% three-point accuracy holds up, could serve as the sort of stretch power forward who fits the Rockets system. But while Young’s cap figure is only slightly higher than Asik’s, Young’s deal lasts a season longer, and that could tie up money Houston may have earmarked for Chandler Parsons once his bargain contract lapses after 2014/15. Plus, the emergence of Terrence Jones of late might dissuade the Rockets from trading for another power forward.

The Bobcats are giving the indication they’ll be buyers at the trade deadline, so perhaps they’ll get into talks for Young. Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors speculated that Philadelphia could be a potential destination for Ben Gordon, and the Sixers, with the most cap space in the league, can accommodate Gordon’s bloated $13.2MM contract in a one-for-one swap for Young. That would amount to salary dump come summer for Philadelphia, and it’s not as if the Sixers don’t have plenty of flexibility already. So, I’d imagine the Bobcats would have to include an attractive draft pick or another intriguing asset for the Sixers to bite.

Maybe the Pistons could get involved if they’re skittish about the offers Greg Monroe might receive in restricted free agency this summer. Detroit would have to give Philadelphia more to meet salary-matching requirements, so talks could bog down over the sort of additional assets the Pistons would relinquish. Young probably represents a cheaper long-term option that re-signing Monroe would entail, so Detroit is one team that might not mind Young’s contract. I’d imagine that would prompt the Sixers to demand a worthwhile extra asset in the trade. Of course, the entire notion is just my speculation.

We’ll probably hear of at least a few teams jumping into discussions for Young in the next few weeks as the February 20th trade deadline approaches. Of course, there’s no real urgency for Hinkie to make a move by that date, as a trade would be just as workable over the summer, from Philly’s perspective. Earlier this season, Young professed a love for Philadelphia, so if he begins to see past his frustration with the club’s rebuilding process, there might not be reason for the Sixers to trade him at all. Still, Young’s contract seems like the sort of deal the team will want to unload sooner or later, and with his play at unprecedented levels, the time might be right for Hinkie to sell high.

Ford On Young, Cavs, Lakers, Bulls, Draft

January 8th, 2014 at 1:21pm CST by Luke Adams

As usual, ESPN.com’s Chad Ford devoted half of his weekly chat to NBA talk and the other half to draft chatter. He provided a handful of interesting tidbits this week on both subjects, so let’s check in on several of the highlights….

According to Ford, the Cavaliers flirted with acquiring Thaddeus Young from the Sixers in a deal for Andrew Bynum, but Philadelphia wanted Cleveland’s own 2014 first-rounder, which was a non-starter.
Danny Ainge keeps saying the 2014 draft class is overrated, which Ford interprets to mean that the Celtics GM actually loves it.
The Lakers are “living in a fantasy land” when it comes to their asking price for Pau Gasol, says Ford, adding that L.A. wanted more from the Cavs for Gasol than what the Bulls got for Luol Deng.
Ford doesn’t think the Bulls are done dealing, noting that there have been a lot of trade whispers about Kirk Hinrich, Joakim Noah, and Carlos Boozer. I imagine Chicago would be much more inclined to part with Boozer and/or Hinrich than Noah.
NBA execs who value advanced metrics are concerned about Julius Randle‘s lack of steals this season (one in 385 minutes). While NBA teams still like Randle a lot, no GM or scout has suggested recently to Ford that his team would take the Kentucky big man first overall.
The Magic and Kings “really like” Oklahoma State point guard Marcus Smart.
“Virtually every GM in the league is in love” with Joel Embiid, who remains in the mix for the first overall pick.
Ford hears that a Mormon mission after this season isn’t out of the question for Jabari Parker, which prompted him to ask several GMs where they’d take the Duke forward if he declared for the draft and announced he was going on a two-year mission. Surprisingly, a few still said they’d take Parker first overall, says Ford.

Eastern Notes: Pacers, Young, Harrellson

January 4th, 2014 at 2:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Pacers announced their recall of Solomon Hill from the D-League today, a move that came none too soon for the rookie, as Scott Agness of Pacers.com details. Hill averaged 29.5 minutes in two games for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, about 10 fewer minutes per game than Pacers teammate Orlando Johnson saw during his assignments to the D-League last season.

“The D-League is for developing talent and I didn’t get a chance to play,” Hill said. “I sat the whole fourth quarter. It’s like, is it really a developmental league? I’m very grateful for the opportunity to play with the Mad Ants organization, but in order for me to try to develop, I have to be on the floor. That just makes me think about my next trip, if I want to go back down there. I’m kind of not tempted to go back down there now just because if I go down there and play 25 minutes after a two-hour drive, it’s like, am I really developing?”

Hill went on to say that he still feels like he got something from the experience, but it’s a reminder that the continued growth of the D-League will face some resistance. Pacers coach Frank Vogel doesn’t believe in sending players to the D-League if they don’t want to go, so don’t count on seeing Hill in Fort Wayne again. Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Any team in the league would love to have Thaddeus Young, an NBA executive tells Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News, who calls the forward the Sixers‘ best trade chip. Young says to Cooney that he wants to be in a winning situation, but he laughs off the notion that he’s disgruntled with the Sixers.
This time around, Josh Harrellson doesn’t have to worry as much about Tuesday’s contract guarantee date, writes David Mayo of MLive.com. The Pistons forward didn’t survive the cut with the Heat last season, but this year, he’s a rotation player and much more likely to stick.
As the Cavs ponder their options with Andrew Bynum, the Plain Dealer’s Terry Pluto implores the team to make a move to upgrade its roster and stick to its plan of striving for a playoff berth this season.
In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if the Heat should consider making a run at the recently waived Hedo Turkoglu. Rashard Lewis more or less already has the role that Turkoglu would fill as a big man with range, even if there’s no such thing as too much three-point shooting, Winderman writes.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Thaddeus Young Made “Soft” Trade Request

December 28th, 2013 at 8:47am CST by Zachary Links

While Thaddeus Young has denied making a trade request to Sixers brass, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports hears that’s not exactly the case. The forward has made a “soft request” to get moved before the upcoming February trade deadline.

Young hasn’t really “pushed the button” for a trade demand, Spears says, which could explain the 25-year-old denying that he has asked out of Philadelphia. Young isn’t overly enthused about the Sixers’ rebuilding process and while he plans to play hard and be respectful, he would like to elsewhere and play for a winner. In Spears’ view, Young is as good as gone.

The 6’8″ forward is averaging a career high 16.8 PPG with 6.7 RPG in 33.1 minutes per contest. His PER of 17.2 is down slightly from his previous three seasons, but the former No. 12 overall pick is still a strong athlete and a capable scorer that most contenders would love to add.

Young might not be the only one on the move, of course. Evan Turner could also be moved before the trade deadline and while he seems like the type of player a young club would like to build around, the Philly front office might have different ideas for how they want to move forward.

Spears’ Latest: Asik, Raptors, Afflalo, Young

December 23rd, 2013 at 8:41am CST by Luke Adams

As usual, Marc Spears’ power rankings for Yahoo! Sports include some noteworthy tidbits on trade possibilities for a handful of clubs. Let’s check in on the latest from Spears….

Even after the Rockets let their self-imposed December 19th deadline pass without moving Omer Asik, the Celtics continue to have discussions about acquiring the big man, according to Spears. With Houston’s unofficial deadline in the rear-view mirror, there’s no rush for the team to make a move, since the actual trade deadline is nearly two months away.
After sending Rudy Gay and two other players to Sacramento, the Raptors aren’t done making deals, a source tells Spears. Kyle Lowry continues to be the most logical trade candidate on the roster.
NBA teams continue to ask the Magic about Arron Afflalo‘s availability, but Orlando continues to turn away potential suitors, telling clubs that Afflalo is not on the trade block.
While Thaddeus Young denied last week that he has asked the Sixers to trade him, the veteran forward remains a candidate to be moved, says Spears.

Omer Asik Leftovers: Rockets, C’s, Sixers, Bucks

December 20th, 2013 at 11:48am CST by Luke Adams

There’s still technically a little time left for the Rockets to trade Omer Asik and still be able to regain full flexibility to flip any new players in time for February’s trade deadline. However, it appears the team’s talks are all dead for now, which means Asik figures to remain in Houston at least into the new year. After several reports expressed confidence that the Rockets would move their backup center this week, it was a little disappointing to see Houston’s self-imposed deadline come and go without a deal, but we certainly haven’t heard the last of the Asik rumors this season. Here’s a roundup of a few leftovers from this week’s drama:

Rockets coach Kevin McHale didn’t seem at all disappointed to see Asik staying put, and sounds like he’s looking forward to getting the seven-footer back into the lineup, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. As Feigen points out, if Asik is willing to make the best of the situation, his defense and rebounding could help the Rockets more than perhaps any other player who was mentioned in recent rumors.
A Celtics source who spoke to Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald was curious about how reports of Boston’s involvement in the Asik sweepstakes gained so much traction this week, considering the two sides had little recent contact and a deal was never particularly close, according to the source.
For the Celtics, adding Asik could’ve helped against established Eastern big men like Roy Hibbert and Brook Lopez, but the fact that talks died should have little fallout for the team, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. As Forsberg notes, Boston’s interest in Asik showed that the club is willing to consider any deal that would improve the roster without significantly compromising the franchise’s long-term flexibility.
While Spencer Hawes was frequently cited this week as the Rockets‘ primary target in talks with the Sixers, Jake Fischer of Liberty Ballers (link via Philly.com) suggests Houston had interest in Thaddeus Young as well.
Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times reported yesterday that the Bucks will not pursue Asik in a deal. Since Woelfel’s tweet came well after news broke that this week’s talks had ended, that seems to indicate that Milwaukee won’t be in the mix even if and when discussions reopen.

Thaddeus Young Denies Requesting Trade

December 20th, 2013 at 10:27am CST by Luke Adams

FRIDAY, 10:27am: Young said today that he did not ask the Sixers to trade him, according to Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com (via Twitter). However, he acknowledged that he knows his name has come up in rumors and confirmed that his agent has been in contact with GM Sam Hinkie, tweets Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

THURSDAY, 4:27pm: Teammates Evan Turner and Spencer Hawes may have surfaced in more trade rumors as of late, but Thaddeus Young has asked the 76ers to deal him, a source tells Jake Fischer of Liberty Ballers. According to Fischer, Young and agent Jim Tanner submitted a formal trade request to the Sixers “weeks ago.”

“Thad is ready to leave Philly,” the source said. “He isn’t with the whole tanking thing…. He just wants them to do the trade if they are. He hates waiting. [Playing for a contender] would be great because the Sixers definitely aren’t making the playoffs this year.”

Young, 25, is averaging a career-high 15.8 PPG so far this season, though his efficiency numbers (.487 FG%, 16.0 PER) aren’t quite where they’ve been over the previous three seasons (.528 FG%, 18.4 PER). The 6’8″ forward made comments yesterday suggesting that he was growing a little frustrated with the inexperience on the Sixers’ roster.

Turner, Hawes, and Young have all been mentioned in trade rumors throughout the season due to their presence as the only real productive veterans on a rebuilding Sixers squad. Turner and Hawes are on expiring contracts, which might make them easier to move, while Young has multiple guaranteed seasons and a player option left on his deal, which runs through 2016. All three players are being “heavily shopped” by Philadelphia, according to a report from ESPN.com’s Chad Ford earlier this week.

There was speculation that Young could be a target for the Rockets in talks involving Omer Asik, but even though the Sixers were linked to Asik, Houston was said to be focusing on Hawes rather than Young.

Atlantic Rumors: Celtics, Knicks, Young

December 18th, 2013 at 9:04pm CST by Chuck Myron

The allure of running a front office and coaching a team at the same time made the Clippers more attractive to Doc Rivers, but Brad Stevens is glad he isn’t overseeing personnel decisions the way his Celtics predecessor is, as Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald notes. Stevens is content to let GM Danny Ainge handle the team’s pursuit of Omer Asik and its situation with Rajon Rondo. It’s a busy time in Boston and around the Atlantic Division, as we detail:

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith hears Knicks management has “had it” with the team’s assistant coaches, and while he suggests assistant Herb Williams might be the replacement if the team fires Mike Woodson, Smith argues that Woodson should keep his job. Assistant GM Allan Houston is strongly denying reports that he’s next in line to coach, Smith adds.
Thaddeus Young, who’s been in trade rumors all season, is growing weary of dealing with the inexperience of his Sixers teammates, observes Tom Moore of the Bucks County Courier Times. “Some of the young guys on the team just don’t know,” Young said. “When you’re dealing with them, the frustration level does get it up there because you’re not used to it. I’m used to guys who are four- and five-year veterans in this league and that can play. And then you have one- and two-year guys that come in fresh and they’re trying to make a name for themselves.”
Amir Johnson tells Doug Smith of the Toronto Star that he wants to play with the Raptors for the rest of his career, and Smith suggests keeping Johnson might not be the worst idea for the team amid trade rumors involving the power forward.

Omer Asik Rumors: Wednesday Morning

December 18th, 2013 at 8:12am CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets‘ self-imposed deadline for an Omer Asik deal is right around the corner, which means we should expect to hear plenty of rumors about the big man today. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld even suggested last night that a trade could be agreed upon today, though nothing is imminent quite yet. Here’s the latest on Asik, who appears almost certain to be on the move by week’s end:

The Celtics are “increasingly active” in Asik talks and are viewed as the Sixers‘ strongest rivals for the center’s services, according to Marc Stein and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. The ESPN duo reports that neither Boston nor Philadelphia is scared off by the $15MM balloon payment owed to Asik in 2014/15.
According to Stein and Windhorst, many league sources believe one reason Rockets GM Daryl Morey imposed the December 19th deadline in the first place was a belief that he could get a deal done by then with Sixers GM (and former Rockets assistant GM) Sam Hinkie. The Rockets would want to do a deal involving Spencer Hawes and at least one first-round pick.
The Cavaliers are more likely to act as a third-team facilitator than to acquire Asik directly, according to the ESPN.com report. Stein and Windhorst detail one scenario in which the Celtics would land Asik and send Jeff Green to the Cavs, though Chris Mannix of SI.com hears there’s “no way” Boston will include Green in an Asik deal (Twitter link).
Although Green and Thaddeus Young have frequently been cited as potential targets for Houston, Stein and Windhorst say the Rockets would be reluctant to take on the long-term contract of either player, since it would negatively impact the team’s ability to lock up Chandler Parsons.
Stein and Windhorst, as well as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, report that while the Rockets would love to acquire Paul Millsap, the Hawks‘ interest in Asik is “lukewarm” at best.
Within Berger’s piece, the CBSSports.com scribe writes that multiple league executives have told him the Rockets are open to packaging Jeremy Lin with Asik. However, considering Lin also has a big salary bump coming next season, sending the two players to the same team is unlikely.
One scenario that has emerged is the possibility of a three-team deal involving the Celtics and Sixers, with Asik going to Boston, says Berger. However, one league source called it a long shot, describing it as a “weird deal.”
The Knicks attempted to get involved in the Asik sweepstakes, discussing a potential deal with the Rockets and a third team, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Despite their efforts though, the Knicks are on the outside looking in, and are very unlikely to land the seven-footer.
We heard last night from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports that the Hawks, Celtics, Cavs, and Sixers are squarely in the mix for Asik, with a “wild card” team in play as well.