Indiana Pacers forward Thaddeus Young has opted into the final year of his contract, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The 6-8 forward is set to make $13.7 million in the 2018-19 season.
Indiana Pacers forward Thaddeus Young has exercised his $13.7M player option and will bypass free agency this summer, league sources told ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 28, 2018
Many speculated whether or not Young would explore free agency, as he was sure to have commanded interest on the market.
Young, 30, appeared in 81 regular season games with the Pacers last season, averaging 11.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Indiana finished the season with a record of 48-34, good for fifth in the Eastern Conference.
In the Pacers seven-game postseason series against the eventual Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers, Young averaged 11.3 points and 7.7 points.
The Pacers recently declined the team option on veteran guard Lance Stephenson to gain financial flexibility this offseason. Though Young is set to be Indiana's second-highest paid player 2018-19, the team will still have cap room to pursue a number of free agents this offseason.