Nick Young has been a major topic on the rumor mill this offseason, but so far none of those rumors have come to fruition. It was reported earlier this offseason that the Los Angeles Lakers were trying to trade Nick Young, but they decided not to. Now it is being reported that there isn't much of a market for the Lakers guard and that he will likely remain a Laker to start the season, according to NBC Sports.
According to the reports, the Lakers have made him available to almost every team but none are biting. The potential reason for the lack of interest in Young is the knee injury he suffered last year that sidelined him for half of the season. When Young did play last season he certainly wasn't at this best either, as he shot the ball only 37 percent from the field. He did average 13.4 points per game though.
At this point it seems like nobody wants Young, including his current team. Earlier in the offseason the Lakers signed Lou Williams, who basically plays the exact same role as Young does. Last season Williams won the Sixth Man of The Year award, and the Lakers most likely signed him with the intention of moving on from Young.
Recently, after they realized there was no trade market for Young, both head coach Byron Scott and GM Mitch Kupchak talked up "Swaggy P," saying that he could be a core piece if he improves his decision making and defense, among other things. Basically what they were saying is that he needs to do more than just score if he wants to be part of the Lakers future plans.
The fact that there is no trade market for Young at all is a little bit surprising. Yes the knee issue does raise concerns, and he is under contract for three more years, but his contract is by no means an outrageous amount of money. Young is owed about $5.2 million each year for the next three years which, with the cap going up, is not a huge price to pay for a sixth man.
Young does have the reputation as a bit of a goofball and as someone that doesn't take basketball that seriously, but he is too talented of a scorer for there to be literally no market for him. If some team takes a chance on him and puts him in the right situation, he can likely help a team win some games.
