You'll have a hard time convincing me that letting the Nets off the hook of Lopez's horrible contract helps our picks. And yes, it is a lateral move. Young is not talented enough to compensate for the fact that he does nothing great.
It will help our pick this year, that’s for sure. Lopez is their star player and he is averaging 20 points, 8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per 34 minutes.
No, he's in Maine because he couldn't beat any of our other 5 PFs for an active roster spot. Trading away 2 of the 5 isn't going to make Mickey any better.
Well, he is going to see more playing time in the NBA against more talented opponents than the ones he is facing in the D-League.
Stats per 36 minutes
Thad Young
18.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.4 blocks
FG% 0.531, FT% 0.581
Amir
11.9 points, 9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.1 steals, 1.8 blocks
FG% 0.55, FT% 0.575
Defence: Amir is far better at protecting the rim, Thad is better at switching screens and guarding shorter opponents.
Offense : Thad > Amir all day long
(plus Amir is injury prone)
I have nothing against Amir, he is a great team player. That being said, I think Thad is an upgrade over him. Not a major upgrade, but still an upgrade. In any case, the number one reason for us to pull the trigger in that deal is the fact that the Nets pick would become more valuable.