San Antonio Spurs forward Thaddeus Young is reportedly drawing interest from a few contenders. The Spurs are rebuilding and have no real need for a veteran player like Young. He could certainly be an asset to multiple contenders as a bench option. However, it's unlikely he holds fantasy value in most formats wherever he lands. He'd be lucky see minutes in the teens if he stays in San Antonio.

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls acquired an All-Star center and sent a loud message to the rest of the NBA with one blockbuster trade. They're serious about becoming a contender. And they're ready to welcome top free agents. The Bulls pulled off their first major trade since Arturas Karnisovas was hired to lead their basketball operation last spring by acquiring two-time All-Star center Nikola Vucevic from Orlando prior to Thursday's deadline. They also added Al-Farouq Aminu in the deal and sent Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter Jr. and two future first-round selections with certain lottery protections to the Magic. “We're trying to improve our team,” Karnisovas said. “That was an opportunity. You don't get so many opportunities to improve with players like that. I think we've done pretty well today." Vucevic is averaging a career-best 24.5 points and 11.8 rebounds in his 10th NBA season and ninth in Orlando. He has two full seasons remaining after this one on the four-year, $100 million... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls expect forward Lauri Markkanen to miss two to four weeks because of a sprained right shoulder, another setback for a 7-footer off to his best start as a pro. The Bulls said Monday an MRI confirmed he has a sprained acromioclavicular joint. Markkanen was hurt Friday at Orlando when he was fouled by Magic forward Gary Clark early in the third quarter. The Bulls were scheduled to host Washington on Monday. Coach Billy Donovan described the injury as a “bit freakish” with Markkanen “driving to the basket, being physical.” Markkanen is averaging a career-high 19.1 points and 6.1 rebounds coming off a disappointing season. He is shooting 51% overall and about 40% on 3-pointers — both personal bests. Markkanen had back-to-back outings with 30 or more points against Portland and New York on Jan. 30 and Feb. 1. He missed seven consecutive games early in the season because of COVID-19 protocols. The No. 7 overall pick in the 2017 draft, Markkanen has not played in... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The way John Paxson sees it, the Chicago Bulls are ready to contend for a playoff spot.The team's top basketball executive made that clear Monday as the Bulls reported for their first training camp under coach Jim Boylen."We think we can compete," Paxson said. "And when you compete at a high level, you have the ability to be a playoff-caliber team. We set that as a goal."Playoffs? Bulls?They insist it's a possibility coming off an injury-riddled season in which they posted one of the worst records in franchise history at 22-60.That will hinge largely on promising core players Lauri Markkanen, Zach LaVine, Otto Porter Jr. and Wendell Carter Jr. staying healthy and taking their games to a higher level. The Bulls also believe they set themselves up for bigger things with the moves they made in the offseason.They signed veteran forward Thaddeus Young to a $41 million, three-year contract. They also gave point guard Kris Dunn some competition after he took a step back last season,... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — General manager Kevin Pritchard convinced himself the Indiana Pacers could contend for an Eastern Conference title by basically keeping the core rotation intact.Victor Oladipo's season-ending knee injury changed the whole equation.While the Pacers continued playing hard and won more often than many expected over the final two months, the absence of their All-Star guard prevented the Pacers from retaining one of the top four seeds or reaching the conference semifinals for the first time since 2014."Vic has been our closer for the last couple of years. To not have him on the court is big," point guard Darren Collison following Sunday's season-ending 110-106 loss to Boston. "Think about the playoffs he had last year and how amazing he was. Now, just imagine if we had that this year."It's hard not to.But even before Oladipo was wheeled off the court with a ruptured quad tendon in his right knee on Jan. 23, he struggled with a sore knee and it showed in the stats that were... [More]

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The stars have been stars in these playoffs.Kyrie Irving has Boston on the cusp of sweeping away Indiana Pacers. Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and Golden State are coming off a game against the Los Angeles Clippers where the Warriors looked very much like the NBA champions again. Damian Lillard and Russell Westbrook are going at each other big-time in the Portland-Oklahoma City series.And then there's Pascal Siakam.Toronto's surprise story is no surprise anymore.Siakam has been perhaps the biggest breakout player in these playoffs, adding to his breakout season for the Raptors — who lead the Orlando Magic 2-1 in their first-round matchup thanks largely to the 25-year-old from Cameroon and his 24.3 points and 10 rebounds per game in the series.It's easy to forget that Siakam only started playing organized basketball seven years ago."Seriously?" Raptors guard Danny Green asked, unaware of his teammate's unique background.Seriously.Raptors coach Nick Nurse was amused by... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Thaddeus Young and Bojan Bogdanovic ignored those who doubted the Indiana Pacers last season.They're even more determined to prove them wrong in the playoffs.The veterans who helped the Pacers exceed expectations after losing Paul George in a trade and kept them together following Victor Oladipo's season-ending knee injury now insist they can help the Pacers overcome a 2-0 deficit against Boston."I think the biggest thing for us over the last couple of years is that we've always been a resilient team," Young said Thursday. "We continue to stay confident, continue to trust in one another, I think that helps put us in a better position to win games."It's a test they've faced, and passed, many times over the past 22 months.And every time, it seems the two soft-spoken forwards find themselves playing the calming role in the locker room."I can tell you we wouldn't be the No. 5 seed if not for those two guys," Doug McDermott said not long after the Pacers sang "Happy Birthday"... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — The Celtics are preparing for their Game 2 matchup with the Pacers aware their series-opening win was notable more for its ugliness more than the outcome.Meanwhile, the Rockets and Bucks are heading into their respective Game 2s with the Jazz and Pistons expecting more competitive games after dominating victories.Boston limited Indiana to eight points in the third quarter of its 84-74 Game 1 win. It was the Celtics' lowest point total of the season and the first time they won a game in 2018-19 in which they didn't reach 100 points.Change is on the minds of both teams.For the Celtics that could mean tweaks to the starting lineup as they continue to adjust to the absence of Marcus Smart, who is recovering from a torn left oblique."It's frustrating, but you have to take it day-by-day and one day at a time," Smart said Tuesday.Celtics coach Brad Stevens acknowledged Smart's absence forced them to play differently and will continue to require adjustments.Without Smart to help with... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — When Victor Oladipo crashed to the floor in late January, the silence inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse was deafening.Teammates quietly expressed best wishes to their injured teammate as he was wheeled off the court on a stretcher. Fans wondered aloud if this was just another chapter in Indianapolis' injury curse that has claimed Peyton Manning, Paul George and Andrew Luck during the previous eight years. League insiders debated how far the Pacers would slide in the Eastern Conference standings.Somehow, after four consecutive losses, Indiana turned the page and won six of its next seven games heading into the All-Star break, still third in the East."We're just going out there and playing basketball," point guard Darren Collison said. "We're keeping the game simple and easy. Everybody is confident. It's getting closer to playoff basketball."After tinkering with his lineup for a few games, coach Nate McMillan settled on a rotation that looks remarkably similar to what he... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Victor Oladipo's season is over. The Indiana Pacers intend to make sure his injury doesn't derail theirs, too.After learning the All-Star guard faces season-ending surgery for a ruptured quad tendon in his right knee, Oladipo's teammates quickly banded together in hopes of surprising the NBA again."It's very, very tough to see this happen to a guy who is so positive and means so much to this team," co-captain Thaddeus Young said Thursday. "But we can't just go be sad. We have to go out and grind out wins and stay together through thick and thin."Young and his teammates demonstrated what that might look like Wednesday night after Oladipo crumpled to the ground awkwardly as he tried to defend an outlet pass against Toronto. He was taken off the court on a stretcher with 4:05 left in the first half. Team officials announced during the game it was a "serious injury" to his right knee but waited until Thursday's MRI to provide more details.Even without their leader, Indiana... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana Pacers are parting ways with guard Lance Stephenson, the gritty veteran who brought energy off the bench in last season's surprising run to the playoffs.The team will not pick up the team option next season, Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard said Monday."This was a very difficult decision, but as free agency begins on July 1, we want to have flexibility so that we can prepare for all of our available options," he said.A year ago, Pritchard decided to trade star Paul George before almost surely losing him in free agency and got Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis from Oklahoma City in a deal that turned out remarkably well for Indiana.Oladipo emerged as a leader, earned his first All-Star trip and won the league's steals title. Sabonis, a lottery pick in 2016, became a key contributor off the bench. Point guard Darren Collison was the NBA's most accurate 3-point shooter, and Thaddeus Young and Bojan Bogdanovic thrived in their roles,... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana Pacers were full of surprises this season.They won more games than expected. They proved more competitive than projected. Heck, they even forced the three-time defending Eastern Conference champs into a decisive seventh game all while receiving the stamp of approval from the world's best player.Not bad for a team that was supposed to be sitting home and plotting draft strategy long ago."This was one of the most amazing seasons of my career," forward Thaddeus Young said. "We played for one another, not as individuals. It's tough (being eliminated), but this is a great group of guys. We all gave our blood and sweat to the game and each other."And it could be just the start.The Pacers' future looks far brighter now than it did 12 months ago after they were swept out of the playoffs by LeBron James and the Cavaliers.Back then, there questions about Paul George's future in Indiana loomed heavily over the franchise. By late June, new general manager Kevin Pritchard... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana Pacers have been winning together, losing together and fighting together all season.Now they need to demonstrate their resilience once more as they try to save their season by rebounding from an emotional loss to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers."Nobody thought we'd be in this situation," Victor Oladipo said, referring to the playoffs. "It's important for us to stick together now because we've seen where it can go, where it can take us and it's great."The immediate problem is recent history doesn't bode well for the underdog Pacers, who trail 3-2 with Game 5 set for Friday in Indianapolis.Cleveland swept Indiana in the first round last year, winning four games by a record low 16 total points. James has won 10 straight close-out games and has never lost a first-round series. Indiana, meanwhile, is trying to reach the conference semifinals for the first time since 2014.But the Pacers don't care about stats, projections or conventional wisdom — as they've... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The NBA said LeBron James' block in the closing seconds of Game 5 on Indiana's Victor Oladipo should have been called goaltending.In the league's Last Two Minute Report posted Thursday, the NBA said the three officials missed the call with 5.1 seconds left. The league said the video shows James blocked Oladipo's shot "after it makes contact with the backboard."Under league rules, the play could not be reviewed because it wasn't called on the floor. James then hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Cavaliers a 98-95 win and a 3-2 lead in the series.The Pacers did not contest the block while on the floor, but later in their locker room they complained about the no-call.The NBA's report also said the Pacers were incorrectly awarded the ball on a play with 27.6 seconds left. The ball went off Indiana's Thaddeus Young and went out of bounds, but the referees gave the ball to Indiana.

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Indiana Pacers felt cheated — by LeBron James and the officials.Moments before James beat them with a game-winning, step-back 3-pointer at the buzzer, the Pacers were poised to take the lead in Game 5 on Victor Oladipo's driving layup. However, James came from behind and blocked Oladipo's shot, which appeared to hit the backboard before Cleveland's star touched it — a goaltending violation.Instead, there was no call and James then dropped his 28-footer over Thaddeus Young to give Cleveland a 98-95 win and a 3-2 lead in this tight Eastern Conference first-round series.The Pacers didn't complain on the floor. But later in their locker room they were angry about the game-swinging play. Several of the Pacers shook their heads while watching replays."Of course, I thought it was goaltending," Lance Stephenson said. "We should've got the ref's attention. When you look at it on the replay, it's clearly goaltending."Under NBA rules, goaltending is only reviewable if the call... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Indiana Pacers felt cheated — by LeBron James and the officials.Moments before James beat them with a game-winning, step-back 3-pointer at the buzzer, the Pacers were poised to take the lead in Game 5 on Victor Oladipo's driving layup. However, James came from behind and blocked Oladipo's shot, which appeared to hit the backboard before Cleveland's star touched it — a goaltending violation.Instead, there was no call and James then dropped his 28-footer over Thaddeus Young to give Cleveland a 98-95 win and a 3-2 lead in this tight Eastern Conference first-round series.The Pacers didn't complain on the floor. But later in their locker room they were angry about the game-swinging play. Several of the Pacers shook their heads while watching replays."Of course, I thought it was goaltending," Lance Stephenson said. "We should've got the ref's attention. When you look at it on the replay, it's clearly goal tending."Oladipo thought he was fouled by James before the non-call."I... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — They've spent the entire season on the fringe, virtually ignored by all but the most savvy fans and NBA insiders.They don't have any household names or any superstars on their roster, just one All-Star and a role player best known for foolish on-court antics.But as the Indiana Pacers strolled quietly into practice on Monday at Quicken Loans Arena, a building they silenced less than 24 hours earlier with an eye-catching playoff win in Game 1 over the Cavaliers, there was something unmistakable about them.They're confident — and they're no longer a secret."People didn't expect us to do this well," Pacers forward Thaddeus Young said, leaning back in a cushioned chair at the end of Indiana's bench. "We like that. That's what kind of drives our motor a little bit, being overlooked and no one expecting us to do what we're currently doing."The Pacers were the better team — by far — on Sunday, leading from tip to final horn in a 98-80 victory over Cleveland that snapped a 21-game... [More]

F Thaddeus Young has scored in double figures in 23 games, including seven straight and 12 of 13. He finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds in Wednesday's loss to Oklahoma City.

F Thaddeus Young contributed 18 points, hitting 8 of 11 shots for the Pacers on Sunday in an overtime win against the Nuggets.

F Thaddeus Young led the Pacers (13-11) with 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting."I was just taking advantage of mismatches," Young said. "The team put me in good position to score and we found open guys."