We shouldn't cut/trade James Young for 2nd round picks or expiring contracts

[Maurice98]

Everyday I keep seeing ideas in this forum for trading James Young or cutting him because he's a scrub. Come on! He was drafted as a project and he still is till he'll be around 21/22. Don't let that summer league fool you because there were a bunch of players who dominated it but failed in the NBA and I recall KD struggled in the summer league. I think people should relax and let Danny and Stevens handle this situation (even though I just heard positive things from them).

I also think that Young improved in the SL where he couldn't participate last year due to injuries which also made him tough for him to maintain consistency. He is noticeably bigger and stronger so he wasn't pushed around as much, he was diving for loose balls, his motor improved,same for his defense by a slight margin, he was already a good rebounder and he drew more free throw.

I just don't want to see the same mistake we did with Joe and Chauncey, so I'll like to keep him. I think his upside his huge because of his size, length, sneaky and smooth athleticism and shooting ability (even though I want to see more mid range types of shots where I think he's more effective). This guy could be a mismatch for twos as he gets even bigger so that he could post up smaller defenders and I think he could develop some moves (mainly a fadeaway). I have a strong feeling that this kid will be a very good offensive player for us down the line. His ceiling is a 20+ points scorer.

[ahonui06]

I agree we shouldn't trade Young for 2nd round picks, but I wouldn't mind trading him for first round picks or a solid player with an expiring contract.

[Jon]

Absolutely.  It's wildly too early to give up on him.

The kid had basically a redshirt year in the NBA, played only 1 year of college ball, and is actually a year younger than Rozier and Hunter (he turns 20 in 2 days). 

I can't believe the number of people on this board who just want to toss in the towel on him, especially after all the doom and gloom prophecies people had about Avery Bradley who was in a similar position to Young his first year. 

[Monkhouse]

I'm actually very high on Young.

People complain about not taking Hood, but I was FAR more impressed with Young's ability to score.

Young is 3 years younger, has more athleticism, and has a nice shooting stroke.

Give Young 1-2 years before trying to trade him for 2nd round picks or expiring contracts..

[Maurice98]

I think with him it's mainly confidence issues as his offense is already quite good, he just has to develop more with more playing time like every NBA player did/does. I saw improvement in his defense because he seems a lot more active and his work ethic is excellent now also guessing it was seeing Smart, Bradley, Crowder, Bass and Wallace in practice and on the court where they give their 110% effort each possession. Ultimately, I think this environment will help him into growing to a great player.

[saltlover]

Trading Young or cutting him would be sub-optimal, but realistically it might be the best option.  The C's have 16 players under guaranteed contract.  Someone has to get cut.

But here's the thing the pro-Young crowd has to realize: if you don't cut him, presumably you're picking up his option for next season, which has to be exercised in October.  And we have probably three more first round picks next season, a bunch of seconds, and eight other players with guaranteed deals next season.  So if he doesn't develop this year, you're running into the same problem next year, except now Young has zero trade value.

In my opinion, if you can't trade a big, then Young has to earn his spot.  If he can't beat out PJ3 for the spot, oh well.  We have a lot of picks forthcoming -- some aren't going to work out.  We should get used it.  On the flipside, hopefully we get some gems in there too, but we shouldn't keep Young around for two more seasons just because he was a 1st round pick last year.

Of course, I'd love for Young to show up to training camp and seize that roster spot, and a spot in the rotation.  But if he can't do it, then it's best to ship him to somewhere that has more patience for whatever they'll give us.

[ahonui06]

Trading Young or cutting him would be sub-optimal, but realistically it might be the best option.  The C's have 16 players under guaranteed contract.  Someone has to get cut.

But here's the thing the pro-Young crowd has to realize: if you don't cut him, presumably you're picking up his option for next season, which has to be exercised in October.  And we have probably three more first round picks next season, a bunch of seconds, and eight other players with guaranteed deals next season.  So if he doesn't develop this year, you're running into the same problem next year, except now Young has zero trade value.

In my opinion, if you can't trade a big, then Young has to earn his spot.  If he can't beat out PJ3 for the spot, oh well.  We have a lot of picks forthcoming -- some aren't going to work out.  We should get used it.  On the flipside, hopefully we get some gems in there too, but we shouldn't keep Young around for two more seasons just because he was a 1st round pick last year.

Of course, I'd love for Young to show up to training camp and seize that roster spot, and a spot in the rotation.  But if he can't do it, then it's best to ship him to somewhere that has more patience for whatever they'll give us.

The one bad thing about James Young is his contract is guaranteed since he is a first round pick. That would be a cap hit for Boston. Another reason why he most likely wouldn't get cut outright.

[PhoSita]

There's no way they're going to cut bait with him like that.

I laugh every time I see somebody suggest something along those lines, as if the Celts are going to dump a guy they took at #18 last year just to keep a salary cap casualty / fringe-NBA player like Perry Jones.

[saltlover]

Trading Young or cutting him would be sub-optimal, but realistically it might be the best option.  The C's have 16 players under guaranteed contract.  Someone has to get cut.

But here's the thing the pro-Young crowd has to realize: if you don't cut him, presumably you're picking up his option for next season, which has to be exercised in October.  And we have probably three more first round picks next season, a bunch of seconds, and eight other players with guaranteed deals next season.  So if he doesn't develop this year, you're running into the same problem next year, except now Young has zero trade value.

In my opinion, if you can't trade a big, then Young has to earn his spot.  If he can't beat out PJ3 for the spot, oh well.  We have a lot of picks forthcoming -- some aren't going to work out.  We should get used it.  On the flipside, hopefully we get some gems in there too, but we shouldn't keep Young around for two more seasons just because he was a 1st round pick last year.

Of course, I'd love for Young to show up to training camp and seize that roster spot, and a spot in the rotation.  But if he can't do it, then it's best to ship him to somewhere that has more patience for whatever they'll give us.

The one bad thing about James Young is his contract is guaranteed since he is a first round pick. That would be a cap hit for Boston. Another reason why he most likely wouldn't get cut outright.

We have 16 guaranteed players.  Cutting any one of them will be a "cap hit."  But we have to, since you can only have 15 players.  So that point is moot.

[tarheelsxxiii]

It's too bad he didn't stay in school. It was apparent before the draft that he wasn't physically ready, and apparent after that he wasn't mentally ready.

Agreeing with the above comment, his body language, the way he looks at and interacts with others on the court (glaring in SL with Smart), he really just comes off as a kid trying to fit in. Not an ideal situation to be digging deep, pushing yourself to heights you aren't sure you can achieve.

[ahonui06]

Trading Young or cutting him would be sub-optimal, but realistically it might be the best option.  The C's have 16 players under guaranteed contract.  Someone has to get cut.

But here's the thing the pro-Young crowd has to realize: if you don't cut him, presumably you're picking up his option for next season, which has to be exercised in October.  And we have probably three more first round picks next season, a bunch of seconds, and eight other players with guaranteed deals next season.  So if he doesn't develop this year, you're running into the same problem next year, except now Young has zero trade value.

In my opinion, if you can't trade a big, then Young has to earn his spot.  If he can't beat out PJ3 for the spot, oh well.  We have a lot of picks forthcoming -- some aren't going to work out.  We should get used it.  On the flipside, hopefully we get some gems in there too, but we shouldn't keep Young around for two more seasons just because he was a 1st round pick last year.

Of course, I'd love for Young to show up to training camp and seize that roster spot, and a spot in the rotation.  But if he can't do it, then it's best to ship him to somewhere that has more patience for whatever they'll give us.

The one bad thing about James Young is his contract is guaranteed since he is a first round pick. That would be a cap hit for Boston. Another reason why he most likely wouldn't get cut outright.

We have 16 guaranteed players.  Cutting any one of them will be a "cap hit."  But we have to, since you can only have 15 players.  So that point is moot.

PJIII is a guaranteed contract but he isn't being paid by Boston. The Thunder are basically paying his contract. This is another financial reason PJIII seems most likely to be cut.

[saltlover]

There's no way they're going to cut bait with him like that.

I laugh every time I see somebody suggest something along those lines, as if the Celts are going to dump a guy they took at #18 last year just to keep a salary cap casualty / fringe-NBA player like Perry Jones.

If PJ3 shows up with his A game in October, and another trade can't be made to clear out the logjam upfront, it could very much happen.  James Young is a sunk cost.  It's poor management to hold onto someone just because of their draft position.  It's fine to hold onto him if they think what he can offer in the future outweighs what PJ3 can offer this year, but Young needs to show more than he has for that to be a given.

[saltlover]

Trading Young or cutting him would be sub-optimal, but realistically it might be the best option.  The C's have 16 players under guaranteed contract.  Someone has to get cut.

But here's the thing the pro-Young crowd has to realize: if you don't cut him, presumably you're picking up his option for next season, which has to be exercised in October.  And we have probably three more first round picks next season, a bunch of seconds, and eight other players with guaranteed deals next season.  So if he doesn't develop this year, you're running into the same problem next year, except now Young has zero trade value.

In my opinion, if you can't trade a big, then Young has to earn his spot.  If he can't beat out PJ3 for the spot, oh well.  We have a lot of picks forthcoming -- some aren't going to work out.  We should get used it.  On the flipside, hopefully we get some gems in there too, but we shouldn't keep Young around for two more seasons just because he was a 1st round pick last year.

Of course, I'd love for Young to show up to training camp and seize that roster spot, and a spot in the rotation.  But if he can't do it, then it's best to ship him to somewhere that has more patience for whatever they'll give us.

The one bad thing about James Young is his contract is guaranteed since he is a first round pick. That would be a cap hit for Boston. Another reason why he most likely wouldn't get cut outright.

We have 16 guaranteed players.  Cutting any one of them will be a "cap hit."  But we have to, since you can only have 15 players.  So that point is moot.

PJIII is a guaranteed contract but he isn't being paid by Boston. The Thunder are basically paying his contract. This is another financial reason PJIII seems most likely to be cut.

This is incorrect.  OKC sent Boston some money to cover a portion of PJ3's contract (not all of it), but he isn't being paid by OKC.  Boston has OKC's money.  They have to pay all 16 players on their roster barring a trade, and it's up to them to decide which of the 16 they release.

[PhoSita]

It's poor management to hold onto someone just because of their draft position. 

It's poor management to draft an 18 year old you know is going to be a project and then cut / dump him after only a year because he's not an every day NBA player yet.

[saltlover]

It's poor management to hold onto someone just because of their draft position. 

It's poor management to draft an 18 year old you know is going to be a project and then cut / dump him after only a year because he's not an every day NBA player yet.

Yes, but it's poorer management to make a bad decision now for the purpose of not acknowledging another bad decision you made last year.

And really, situations change.  Maybe they misjudged Young.  Maybe his injuries last year held him back enough.  Certainly the team is more competitive than anticipated when Young was picked, so he doesn't fit on this roster as well.  And again, this is assuming that PJ3 plays well and earns a spot.  If he doesn't, then he doesn't.  But if he does, it's flat-out idiotic to pretend it never happened and release him because he was the last to arrive, or because you got a draft pick for taking his contract.