A number of NBA players have tough decisions to make this summer.That included Thaddeus Young of the Indiana Pacers.After he averaged 11.8 points and 6.3 rebounds over 32.2 minutes in 81 regular-season games and then 11.3 points and 7.7 rebounds over 33.9 minutes in Indiana’s seven-game loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the opening round of the playoffs, Young had to decide whether or not to accept a player option worth $13.7 million for next season.His options were pretty simple.If he accepted, he’d return for the final year of his contract in Indiana and would therefore likely retain his 30-plus minute role for the emerging squad. The $13.7 million would be his with no guarantees after that.If he declined, he would test the open market. Since his stats were not overwhelmingly-impressive, he might have had a hard time receiving that kind of money or a multi-year deal, but the possibility would be there. It’d be a risky move, but one with the upside to pay off in a major way.In the end, he decided to play it safe.

The decision

As first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Young exercised his option on Thursday and will therefore return to the Pacers for the final year of his deal.

Young holds career averages of 13.4 points and 5.9 rebounds spanning 10 years as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Brooklyn Nets and Pacers. While his numbers last season were not eye-popping, his worth on the court transcended the box score.

With him on the floor, Indiana’s net rating was plus-4.4. With him off the court, it was negative-3.8.

That’s quite a difference and is indicative of his value on both ends of the court. One of Young’s greatest assets is his versatility. As someone who can step out from beyond the arc on offense and also defend out to the perimeter on the other end of the court, his skill set is important in today’s NBA.

He has even accepted the role of “glue guy”.

“I’m an intangibles guy. A guy who does a little bit of everything, and I’m always there when you need me,” Young said during the team’s opening-round playoff loss. “In the end, it doesn’t matter if I’m a glue guy or anything, as long as I’m out there playing with my guys.”

“I just look for consistency. It’s not about the things that show up in the stats. When I was on the court, what did I do as far as going out there defensively? Was I able to hold my guy down? Or was I able to do certain things like the intangibles?” Young said. “The steals, the rebounds, chipping in on blocked shots. Offense is going to come. I’ve always been a guy who didn’t need plays ran for me, I just play off my teammates and try to keep things together on the court.”

Although the Pacers could attract multiple free agents this summer, it appears as though Young will be a part of next year’s squad as it stands right now. Myles Turner nor Domantas Sabonis can play power forward and reserve T.J. Leaf is still a project.

Although $13.7 million is a steep price to pay for a self-admitted glue guy, it’s clear that the Pacers understand that he’s valuable to them.