It appears the Philadelphia 76ers will indeed be involved in the reported Kevin Love trade — tangentially, at least.
The Sixers will trade Thaddeus Young to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for a package will include 2013 No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett, a source told the Philadelphia Daily News.
At the moment, Bennett is still a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, but Yahoo! Sports reported Thursday that he, 2014 top pick Andrew Wiggins and a protected first-round pick in 2015 will be sent to the Wolves in a deal for Love.
The trade cannot be made official until Aug. 23, when the Cavs’ moratorium on trading Wiggins expires.
Young, a 6-foot-8 forward, has spent his entire seven-year NBA career in Philadelphia but only recently developed into a full-time starter. He saw his rebounding numbers dip slightly last season (6.0 per game) but averaged career highs in points (17.9), assists (2.3) and steals (2.1). He’ll likely be tasked with filling the void left by Love, who averaged seven points more per game than the second-highest Timberwolves scorer last season.
The Daily News’ report aligns with what ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported last week: that the Sixers and Young will be somehow involved in the Love trade, either directly or indirectly. If the deal goes through as reported, Philadephia’s roster for this season would include three of the top 11 picks from the 2013 NBA draft — Bennett, Nerlens Noel and Michael-Carter Williams.
Bennett was a massive disappointment in his first pro season, averaging just 4.2 points per game on 35.6 percent shooting.
Photo via John Geliebter/USA TODAY Sports Images
