The Los Angeles Lakers would be cleaning house soon and Nick Young could be one of the players moving out. However, that can only happen if there are takers for Swaggy P and his hefty contract, which still has about $11 million remaining.
The $11 million is part of that four-year $21.5 million contract Young got after a fine showing in 2014, but things were just not the same after he suffered that right thumb injury the season after.
Young has yet to revert to his old form, and getting minimal exposure certainly isn’t helping.
With head coach Byron Scott preferring to go with Kobe, Lou Williams and the young guns (Clarkson and Russell) on certain occasions, Swaggy P has been kept in cold storage.
With many questioning why Scott is opting to bench the offensive-minded player, he said that everybody was overacting on the whole thing (via Lakers Nation).
Until their latest loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves (123-122 OT), Young played only a total of 7 minutes in the last four games. Scott says it was all part of a plan but Young is obviously bothered by it.
Perhaps the problem he sees in Young is that he hasn’t done anything other than score. He wants the ball in his hand, but so do the other four players on the floor. That could be the reason why Scott has found it hard to use him.
With that said, the trade rumors surrounding Young are up in the air once more. Is it time to trade Swaggy P?
Well, it could depend on what the Lakers plan to do from here. There is word that Young and Roy Hibbert are candidates for trade since the Lakers want to clean up their salary budget for the 2016 offseason, as per the Bleacher Report.
The two carry the heftiest salaries now, so it is likely that the Lakers are making big room for someone next season, which would likely include Kevin Durant – the top free agent in the Summer.
At the moment, it will be interesting to know which team would be interested in Young. There are plenty for sure, but his contract may be the problem.
Teams like the Miami Heat, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies and the Oklahoma City Thunder could make use of Young’s offensive prowess but what they can give in return seems to be the one hindering all that from happening.
Young has shown he still has the touch, but he may want to pay attention to other parts of his game like playing defense or probably setting up his teammates.
That flaw and his high contract are the factors seemingly holding him down at the moment. Once he addresses his value, he could once again justify his high contract price and perhaps his career.
The only thing certain now is that he doesn’t seem to have a future with the Lakers unless he gets the trust and confidence of Scott (or any coach on their end) back.
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