Recent trade rumors have emerged that the Los Angeles Lakers are looking to deal their veteran small forward Nick Young before the trade deadline, but the market for the flamboyant wingman is said to be too thin as no teams have shown interest.
SB Nation reported, citing ESPN's Marc Stein and Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler, that the 30-year-old sharpshooter "was among several veteran players the Los Angeles Lakers were interested in trading" as the NBA trade deadline comes on Thursday.
Young himself reportedly admitted that he would not be surprised if he will be playing with a different team next week, saying that he is prepared for anything that could happen.
"I'll be lying if I said I'm not hearing anything," Young told LA Daily News' Mark Medina. "I don't know if anything's going to happen. But I'm being prepared and hoping for the best."
He has even said "little" goodbyes to his teammates, such as "I want you to remember me for something in case I'm gone," but analysts believe that it will not be that easy for the Lakers to find trading partners for Young.
One reason is the declined performance of the 6-foot-7 wingman. He is currently averaging 7.2 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 18.8 minutes per night and is shooting 35.4 percent from the field, a significant drop from the 13.4 points, 2.3 boards, and 1.0 assists in 23.8 minutes a game he had last season. He shot slightly higher from the field in 2014-2015 at 36.6 percent but is still too low to catch the attention of other NBA teams.
Another reason is the $11.2 million and two years remaining in Young's four-year, $21.3 million deal with the Lakers, which is too high of a cost in terms of what he can or can no longer contribute to a team.
The Los Angeles native showed some excitement when the possibility of being traded to a playoff-bound team was mentioned by Medina, saying that "I would love to be on a playoff team and not just be sitting and watching. I would love to be in a playoff atmosphere and be a part of it".