Thaddeus Young Reportedly Opts into Pacers Contract

Indiana Pacers power forward Thaddeus Young will exercise the player option in his contract for the 2018-19 NBA season, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday.

The Pacers acquired Young from the Brooklyn Nets in a July 2016 trade. He's averaged 11.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.6 steals across 155 games in two seasons with the team. He ranked 17th among power forwards in ESPN's real plus-minus last season.

After Indiana's season ended with a heartbreaking Game 7 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs, the 30-year-old New Orleans native told Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype he wasn't immediately sure what he wanted to do about his contract:

"I'm still in the process of sitting down with my agent and my business manager and my wife and my kids, and we're talking about every opportunity and situation possible. We'll look at everything that could happen. I'm kind of just enjoying my time off and not thinking about it right now, but I do need to start thinking about it over the next couple of weeks."

Young started his career with the Philadelphia 76ers after getting selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2007 draft. After seven years with the Sixers, he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in August 2014 and then to the Nets in February 2015 after just 48 games with the Wolves.

In all, he's put up 13.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game during his 11-year career.

Although the allure of free agency is always strong, it's hard to say whether Young could have found a better situation and financial offer on the open market. He's a starter for a Pacers team that could transform into a top contender in the Eastern Conference with a few offseason upgrades.

The veteran forward should continue to see upward of 30 minutes per night next season for Indiana, giving him a chance to bolster his stock before potentially becoming a free agent next summer.