Nick Young outlasted D’Angelo Russell with the Lakers.
By only one day, though.
After Russell was traded to the Nets, Young – the other character in the video scandal – is opting out.
Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times:
Nick Young just declined his option with the Lakers to become a free agent, per source.
— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) June 21, 2017
Young was in line to earn $5,668,667 next season if he opted in.
He’ll likely get more on his next contract. Young is coming off a resurgent/career year, where he shot 40% on 3-pointers and actually tried defensively.
But he still has a reputation for not being serious enough to contribute to a winning culture. One focused year on a bad team won’t erase that. Young is also 32, an age where decline becomes a serious concern. Simply, teams might not trust Young to duplicate his last season. It’s far from guaranteed he recoups his option-year salary.
By opting out, Young also risks leaving Los Angeles, a place he seemed to enjoy playing. Maybe that experience had run its course for him. If not, remember, new Lakers president Magic Johnson never chose him. Maybe Johnson appreciates Young and wants to re-sign him, but that’d be coincidence. Young’s incumbent status with the team isn’t an indicator.