The NBA Trade Rumors were confirmed for Thaddeus Young, and the 26 year-old forward heaved a sigh of relief. While he loved the city and is grateful for the fans, being on a team that actually wants to compete is a relief.

Young was recently inaugurated as part of the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Philly.com had an interview with the Sixers star player.

"It's a great thing for the younger guys. It's a great thing for me. I can step into a situation were I already kind of know some of the concepts and I can help the young guys get better."

Young talked about the past two seasons with Philadelphia. The franchise got tired of always finishing at the tail end of the playoffs. Thus, they were prompted to throw their hat in the Dwight Howard trade by trading their best player at the time, Andre Iguodala and gambling on getting a top big man Andrew Bynum who was very injury prone, to say the least.

The gamble ended up the worst way possible. Bynum had one year on his contract and spent all of it on the injured list without playing a single game for the franchise. This forced the Sixers to take on the tanking strategy.

"It was definitely tough and frustrating at times, but I've always made the best out of situations by just going out there and playing the game that I love so dearly. I still hold Philadelphia close to my heart. Those fans have been close to me ever since Day 1. They were the ones that actually picked my first jersey number in the NBA."

The Timberwolves won't be that much better, as they may also struggle to make the playoffs in the more competitive Western Conference, but the mindset is very different. Still, Young admits it won't be easy to leave the City of Brotherly Love.

"I've gotten closer and closer to Philadelphia, and for me to just leave and go it was definitely hard, and it was saddening, but at the end of the day it's a business and I know I have to start a new chapter of my life and a new journey."

Sixers fans wish him the best of luck, and possibly congratulations on escaping another tanking year.