Thaddeus Young, a left-handed athletic forward who played at Georgia Tech, will be traded from Philadelphia to Minnesota as part of the blockbuster deal that moved former Timberwolves’ star forward Kevin Love to Cleveland and LeBron James.
The Wolves agreed weeks ago to send Love to the Cavaliers, where he will team up with James and Kyrie Irving to make the Cavaliers a favorite in the Eastern Conference.
The Cavs agreed to send No. 1 overall draft pick Andrew Wiggins, former No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett, and a 2015 No. 1 draft choice they obtained from Miami to Minnesota to secure Love.
But Wolves president Flip Saunders and general manager Milt Newton coveted the 26-year-old Young to help them replace Love in the starting lineup. Thursday the teams came to agreement. Young averaged a career-high 17.9 points last season and gives the Wolves another athletic player to put around point guard Ricky Rubio. He also gives the young team another veteran presence in the locker room.
The rebuilding 76ers will get guard Alexey Shved and forward Luc Mbah a Moute from the Timberwolves and Miami’s No. 1 pick next year from the Cavaliers in the deal, which cannot be officially announced until Saturday, when Wiggins becomes eligible to be traded.
Young had two years and more than $19 million left on his contract, but he can become a free agent after next season if he chooses.
