Thaddeus Young knows exactly how unsettling trade-deadline deals can be.
Four years ago, while playing for Minnesota, he participated in the Timberwolves' first practice following the All-Star break on Feb. 19. Returning to his locker afterward, he checked his phone and learned he had just been traded to Brooklyn.
"And they made me practice that day," he said. "I was pissed."
That's why Young, as much as anyone, appreciates being part of a stable team that, unlike so many others around the NBA, wasn't broken up before Thursday's trade deadline passed. The Pacers' front office sent a strong message that it doesn't consider this season a lost cause following Victor Oladipo's injury and the players responded with a 116-92 victory.