Patric Young was the undrafted player every fan base wanted.
He came to Florida a highly decorated recruit, and one-time talk of him belong in the lottery wowing those hung up on potential. He also spent four years with the Gators, impressing those who value college experience.
Young had something for everyone – except NBA teams participating in 2014 NBA draft.
After going undrafted, the 6-foot-10 power forward impressed with the Pelicans’ summer-league team. Now, he has an NBA contract.
Another summer-league standout, Cameron Bairstow – drafted No. 49 by the Bulls – signed with the Bulls.
Young’s two-year, minimum-salary contract is fully unguaranteed, according to spotrac.
That technically puts him at a disadvantage. The Pelicans can waive him at any time, but if he wants to sign a guaranteed contract with another team, he can’t because of this deal with New Orleans. Theoretically, the Pelicans could bring another big man to camp and waive Young if the other player impresses more.
However, in reality, I believe a roster inertia exists that helps Young. I bet the Pelicans would give him undue preference simply because he’s already under contract.
No official word on Bairstow’s contract terms, but Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com has a theory related to Kirk Hinrich, who didn’t officially sign until today after previously agreeing to a deal:
A team may exceed the cap for a minimum contract up to two years in length. If the Bulls signed Bairstow to a three-year contract, they’ll have his Bird rights when it expires. That’s why they’d sign him before Hinrich exhausts their cap space.
However, Chicago doesn’t have to give him any guaranteed money. He might be in the same boat as Young.
