Los Angeles Lakers: Top 5 free agent destinations for Nick Young
By Tony Thai
Nick Young is set become an unrestricted free agent on Saturday, July 1 after declining his $5.66 million contract option to return to the Los Angeles Lakers for next season.
Nick Young has likely seen his last days with the Los Angeles Lakers. After declining his player option, he will become a free agent and negotiate with potential suitors that are vying for his talent.
Young joined the Lakers in 2013 after stints with the Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Clippers, and Philadelphia 76ers. He has played four seasons with the Lakers and had his highest ppg of his career (17.9 ppg) in the first year with the team.
Following a poor season, Young bounced back last year and averaged 13.2 points, 2.1 rebounds, and one assist per game. He shot 43 percent from the field and 40 percent from three. After playing in 60 games, the Lakers decided to shut down Young for the rest of the season to give playing time to younger players like David Nwaba and Tyler Ennis.
Even with a hole at shooting guard, it is unlikely that the Lakers will look to bring back Young. The Lakers are trying to save cap space to sign big name free agents, like Paul George, next summer and Young will probably be looking for a big paycheck that the Lakers likely can’t afford to give.
The Lakers would have loved to have Swaggy back this year, but it's all about cap space next year. Unlikely they'd give him a new deal
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) June 21, 2017
In his exit interview, Young told reporters that he would prefer to go and play with a contender instead of being a veteran on a young team. At 32 years old, Young has only made the playoffs twice in his 10 years in the NBA. It isn’t surprising that Young is looking to play for a playoff contender.
Nick Young says he's not sure he wants to sit around and wait for team to progress. Says he wants to play in the playoffs at his age.
— Shahan Ahmed (@shahanLA) April 13, 2017
Young doesn’t look like he’s coming back to the Lakers and he will be looking for a new team to play for this summer. So what teams are the best fit for Young?