Sixers acquire Sam Young from Memphis
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Sixers acquire Sam Young from Memphis
Bob Cooney
UPDATED: The Sixers have confirmed the trade. "We feel Sam's overall skill set can be a valuable asset to our team and he adds to our depth at two positions,” Sixers president of basketball operations Rod Thorn said in a statement.
From EARLIER:
With Evan Turner now in the starting lineup the backcourt reserves for 76ers coach Doug Collins became painfully small, with Lou Williams and Jodie Meeks manning most of the minutes.
So the Sixers decided to do something about that and acquired guard/forward Sam Young from the Memphis Grizzlies today, the Daily News has learned.
The Sixers have given up the rights to guard Ricky Sanchez, who was acquired in a 2007 trade with Denver. Sanchez was originally drafted in the second round by Portland in 2005. The Sixers acquired Sanchez’s rights from Denver, along with Reggie Evans, in exchange for Steven Hunter and Bobby Jones.
The NBA trade deadline is at 3 p.m. today.
Young was the 36th overall pick in the 2009 draft by the Grizzlies after being named first-team all Big East his senior season at Pittsburgh when he posted a single-season school record of 609 points (19.1 a game).
The 6-6, 220-pounder will come off the bench for Collins and provide a defensive physical presence on the defensive end and a pretty good scoring touch offensively. Young has averaged 6.9 points in his three seasons with Memphis during his 17.5 minutes per game.
During the Grizzlies’ 13-game playoff run last season, Young started 11 of those games averaging 7.5 points in close to 20 minutes of action.
Young is in the final year of a 3-year deal that pays him $947,000 this season. He will be a restricted free agent.
The move adds yet another look for the Sixers, who have had a sort of facelift since the All-Star break. Turner started his fifth straight game in Wednesday’s 111-94 loss to the Indiana Pacers, a spot Collins said he will keep for the rest of the season. Starting center Spencer Hawes returned to the lineup on Wednesday after missing 27 of the previous 29 games due to an Achilles’ strain and now Young should find ample minutes in his reserve role.
Before Wednesday’s game, Collins talked of how his substituting rotation would change now that Hawes is back and Turner is starting. That will now be revamped again with the addition of Young.
The starters will remain the same with Jrue Holiday, Turner, Andre Iguodala, Hawes and Elton Brand. Thaddeus Young and Williams will mostly remain the first subs off the bench, with rookie Nikola Vucevic getting regular minutes subbing for Hawes. How exactly Young will be used probably will depend of defensive matchups, when Collins will need a tough defender to help his second unit.
Coming out of Pittsburgh, the scouting report on Young was that he was an adequate offensive player with an improved shot, though not very fluid at the offensive end. Due to his size, strength and expansive wing span, he was labeled as a potential lockdown defender.
This is the second deal the Sixers have made with Memphis this season. Back on Jan, 4, the Sixers traded forward Marreese Speights to the Grizzlies for a pair of second-round picks.
you might hate this trade, but I would do : Nocioni,Vuce and a 2nd for Mcgee and Blatche. Washington would do that deal to get out Blatche's contract and it would fill the backup PF and C need. Thad now that he has a jumpshot is a SF, thats where he needs to play. Washington is— Njtod10- I like Vuce a lot better than Blatche, so i would stop there. javalle magee is a dalambert type player, very enticing when you look at physical tools, but a cancer on a team chemistry-wise without strong veteran leadership. I would pick Lavoy over Javalle any day, as every day you know what he will bring. — theoinpa
- you might hate this trade, but I would do : Nocioni,Vuce and a 2nd for Mcgee and Blatche. Washington would do that deal to get out Blatche's contract and it would fill the backup PF and C need. Thad now that he has a jumpshot is a SF, thats where he needs to play. Washington is terribly coached and these guys could use a changeof scenery.— Njtod10
- Washington would never make that trade since it's way too one sided for the Sixers. Centers are in demand and will not go for less than a young close to not allstar but star talent - not expiring contracts and garbage picks. — Manok
- While it's hard not to be intrigued by Mcgee's athleticism and length...I doubt DC (who pucblicly reved about him in his PCs) would have time for this....http://youtube.com/watch?v=AgSYA3Gb....some guy who must have lost a ton of cash betting on the Wizards produced this. — bearsfriend
- This is a great pick up! Granted Im prolly a lil biased bc he and Blair made PITT basketball amazing my freshman year. He can score (a smarter shooter than Iggy), can dunk so hard, and can defend. Hail to Pitt.— krh66
- It's not that this trade now puts them in the championship hunt...They traded nothing for a good defender with good size...He fills a role and should fit in nicely with this group...I doubt Dwight Howard was available for Ricky Sanchez— drjimmy
- Look....a 2nd for Sam Young is....yes...good value...but it doesn't change this teams most pressing need which is someone who is a "top 20 talent in this league"....they will be fun to watch through the end of this year and playoffs....but I really think this team will be different come next year....— bbrady25
- Who the hell is Ricky Sanchez?— SilliBilli
- They had to do something. Jodie Meeks has the wingspan of an 11 year old, and mental-midget Lou Williams can't follow directions. If this guy can shoot, Meeks is DONE.— fillyfan
- does any writer here read what they write... "..defensive physical presence on the defensive end" is that as opposed to a defensive physical presence on the OFFENSIVE end???— sn11
- sixers' identity are hard defense and fast break. Similar to Miami's except they had James and Wade. That is why we seem unable to beat them. Nocioni, Vucevic, Meeks, and Speights are just not the type of player sixers need. Sam seems a good fit. That is why they bring him. But we need someone like Hibbert/Nene to bring the team to the next level.— cchere
- Isn't it great that the Sixers drafted Speights with the 16th pick instead of Hibbert who was taken 17th? Not as bad as Hughes instead of Pierce but it still stinks pretty good. — sedale
- Sam is the final piece of the puzzle. 76ers are ready to win the east!— Tyrone Biggums
- The Eagles are the ones that make "big" deals -- and look how that worked out last year. The Knicks, too. The Sixers make moves that help them and this will help them, particularly on the defensive end in the playoffs.— iceman
Bob Cooney has been at the Daily News for more than 20 years, working in the sports department for the past 15. This is his third season on the Sixers beat. He has covered just about everything, but mostly college basketball, where he was the La Salle beat writer for six seasons. E-mail Bob at cooneyb@phillynews.com and follow him on Twitter.
