The Lakers shopped Nick Young around all summer, plus went out and signed an upgraded version of what he brings to the court in Lou Williams (the sixth man gunner role).
But here it is near the end of July and Young is still a Laker. The team found no deals to its liking. Now it looks like Young will at least start the season in Los Angeles, reports Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.Lakers forward Nick Young recently met with general manager Mitch Kupchak, according to league sources familiar with the situation.
It is not entirely clear what Young and Kupchak addressed in their meeting. It is typical for Kupchak to meet with players to discuss both professional and private issues. But the conversation at least left Young feeling comfortable enough that he will enter the 2015-16 season on the Lakers’ roster, according to a source familiar with his thinking.
Young has three years and $15.3 million remaining on his deal (the last year of that is a player option), which is a pretty affordable contract. The issue is more the years, only Iggy Azalea seems willing to commit to Young for that long.
Young is a classic volume shooter. He averaged 13.4 points a game last season for the Lakers but shot just 36.6 percent from the floor (although he shot 36.9 percent from three and took 47 percent of his shots from there, so his true shooting percentage of .520 was close to the league average).
His style can work as a sixth man on the right team, but the Lakers upgraded that role with Williams.
Plus, having Kobe Bryant, Williams and Young on the same team but only one basketball presents a problem.
Kobe is not a fan of Young’s antics. The Lakers will keep trying to move Young, but it takes two to dance and the Lakers are still looking for a partner. So Young will be a Laker for a little while.