76ers re-sign Thaddeus Young
The 76ers have said for days -- and even as far back as last year -- that bringing back forward Thaddeus Young was a priority for them.
76ers re-sign Thaddeus Young
The 76ers have said for days -- and even as far back as last year -- that bringing back forward Thaddeus Young was a priority for them.
They proved that this evening by agreeing to terms with Young, a restricted free agent; the deal is worth approximately $43 million over five years, a source has confirmed. The fifth year of the deal is optional, with the option belonging to Young.
Young did not participate in the team's first practice this evening at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, but he will be back with the team for tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon's session.
As the last week dragged on, it looked very much like the Sixers were going to put themselves in a precarious position: allow Young to sign another team's offer sheet, the amount of which was unknown. Although general knowledge held that Young was worth in the range of $7-$8 million a year, the Sixers couldn't necessarily rule out the possibility that some other team (the Kings? The Denver Nuggets?) would swoop in with a $9-$10 million/year offer for Young. The new rules of the collective bargaining agreement state that all NBA teams must reach a minimum level (85 percent) of the league's $58 million salary cap. Because of that, certain teams will be forced to overpay guys in order to reach that level. Was Young going to be one of those guys? The Sixers desperately hoped not.
In the end, as Young spoke with other teams and waited for the blockbuster moves to be made (and unmade, in one very notable instance), a couple of things seemed to play out for Young. First, Young always wanted to return to Philly. He truly enjoys playing for coach Doug Collins; he truly believes Collins can make him an all-star-level player. Although at one time Young seemed to be pushing for a contract in the range of $10 million a year, the realization began setting in that such a number was probably a stretch. Young could continue waiting for a team to drop a huge offer sheet on him, but doing so was a risk: it might not happen, and he'd miss very valuable training camp time if he did.
The Sixers weren't willing to go that high for Young -- and rightly so. But as the beginining of training camp drew near, the two sides began trying to make a deal in earnest. Young gets what he needs: the security of a long-term guaranteed contract. The Sixers get what they need: a valuable asset off the bench, a young guy just entering the prime years of his career.
Now the question everyone will debate: did the Sixers overpay?
Not really, no. If the Sixers hadn't made it clear they were going to match an offer in this range, another NBA team likely would have signed Young to this kind of offer sheet. But because other teams knew offering this kind of deal to Young would have tied up their money for three days (the length of time the Sixers would have had to match), it didn't make sense for any team to drop the offer sheet. If Young, instead, had played this season for his qualifying offer of about $4 million and became a free agent (not restricted) after this upcoming season, he likely would have landed exactly this deal -- if not a touch more. But doing that didn't make sense for Young, because then he risked injury and added the stress of still not having a contract.
So it made sense for both sides to just get this done now.
Young is only 23 years old. He's just starting the prime years of his career. And he's injury free. Young has four-year NBA averages of 12.5 points and 4.9 rebounds a game. But those numbers have come as a reserve, with only 28.1 minutes a game. During the 2008-09 season, Young averaged 15.3 points a game. Sixers fans will remember that Young was on fire down the stretch of that season. It was only a turned ankle near the end of the season that slowed Young, and really cost the Sixers down the stretch of that season.
The Sixers know that Young is really only a decent 15-foot jumper away from averaging 18-20 points a game. Will he add that jumper to his game? We're going to see very soon if he has. Collins told Young at the end of last season that adding that jumper would make him unstoppable, because Young's quickness to the rim cannot be stopped if it's coupled with a reliable mid-range shot.
The Sixers now have two of the best off-the-bench guys in the NBA: Young and combo guard Lou Williams.
--Kate
Each week, Kate will check in from the road and answer fan questions about the Sixers. Click here to ask Kate a question or e-mail her at kfagan@phillynews.com.
This is a good thing— 7mel11- i guess this is par for a 6th man. nice boost of energy off the bench and has done well under the Collins regime.— ESFjellin
- Great signing by the Sixers! He has a lot of basketball SKILL, which is rare in this era when most guys are just athletic (ie., Iggy).— fillyfan
- It is a solid signing. I disagree about Iggy. He is a great all around player with the exception of his offensive game. He is an under-appreciated player. I would love to have Iggy as a Sixer his whole career if he was getting paid far less and if he didn't believe that he is a star player. — Al3000
- I Agree with Al3000 about Iggy. Iguodala is a very skilled player in every aspect except for shooting — Llamaboy1375
- YES. Congratulations Thad. I think we'll see a lot of upside and he'll be a starter for us eventually.— corporatehuman
- YES!! The Lakers, Rockets, Hornets, Nets and Knicks in turmoil. Half the teams have only half their rosters full. The Sixers are ready to roll - continuity and a hot start. A grind of a season with fresh legs, depth on the roster, a defensive system players buy into .... and an energized fan base who appreciates their new ownership. Go Sixers!!!— pnellius
- Little expensive, but I'll take it. Depending on the market, Thad was going to get $6M on the low side and $10M on the upside.— Dean1
- I cant express how disappointed I am in this Franchise and the NBA as a whole right now. Wasn't this lockout partially over players being over paid? You dont pay a tweener who comes off the bench 8.3 mil!
If he was a starter - id have less problem with this signing - but as long as brand and ig are here Thad wont start.— Xdaxblessedx 
Comment removed.- Most definitely is a good move to add stability to the bench. Upcoming years we know Brand will be gone and we know Iggy is going to be chopped. The new additions will not contribute much and the older players should be put out to pasture. Too much money on two players who do not earn their keep, Brand will play good this year cause we know after this contract, mid level exception for him will be overpaying him.— slick457
- Most definitely is a good move to add stability to the bench. Upcoming years we know Brand will be gone and we know Iggy is going to be chopped. The new additions will not contribute much and the older players should be put out to pasture. Too much money on two players who do not earn their keep, Brand will play good this year cause we know after this contract, mid level exception for him will be overpaying him.— slick457
- Not sure what to think with Young; frankly, why did the NBA have a lockout other than getting a bigger share of the BRI? Competitive balance? Rubbish! No more long-term guaranteed contracts? Rubblish! A hard cap? Rubbish. The Stars will find a way to congregate together and I will not be surprised if Chris Paul sues the NBA owners for negating his trade to the Lakers. 29 owners owning one of the NBA clubs? Ridiculous. As for the Sixers, hate to be negative, but what really has changed from 41-41 last season? Still no consistent three-point shooter, still a vacuum in the middle, still huge question marks on Turner playing with Iguodala, Brand a year older and, like Young, has trouble against teams with length, Lou Williams still firing away. Who is the go-to guy down the stretch? Will Holiday facilitate better than he did last season or will he force too many shots? Everyone is counting on the fact that the team ended at 41-41 after a 3-13 start, but they also faded at the end, losing 5 of their last 6 games, when they had a chance to move higher in the standings. Hope I am wrong, and they may catch a break with the brutal schedule, but they still look like a middle of the pack club.— chuckw
- Hit the nail right on the head w/ every point. I believe this is a truthful, objective post, and don't see how anyone can be happy with this team.
- im glad thad got paid but its lil more i would of like to seen more around 30 35 mill range especially paying a guy that much of the bench?he has games were he disappears, and not consistent getting that type of pay he should be starting, and tht is why iggy needs to be traded him and turner do the same things, but i think turner does some of those things better, maybe defense, but he can work on tht.— Dareis87
John Mitchell is in his second year covering the 76ers for the Inquirer after joining the paper in November 2011. He covered the Washington Wizards for the Washington Times from 1998 to 2008. He's also worked at the Philadelphia Tribune, the Wilmington News Journal, Courier-Post, Trenton Times and Elmira Star-Gazette.Born and raised in West Philadelphia - not too far from Will Smith - he graduated from Overbrook High School the same year the 76ers won their last championship. He's a proud graduate of Howard University and the proud father of two sons, Jared and Jordan.
ABOUT MARC NARDUCCI
Marc Narducci has served in a variety of roles with the Inquirer since beginning in 1983. He has covered the 76ers as a backup and a beat writer. In addition, Narducci has covered everything from the Super Bowl to the World Series and a lot in between. Narducci also has a true passion for South Jersey scholastic sports, which he has covered for many years.
