The Los Angeles Lakers are likely to send swingman Nick Young to the Indiana Pacers in attempt to create cap room in absorbing Roy Hibbert, Yahoo Sports NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Sunday.
After getting commitment from free-agent shooting guard Lou Williams and power forward Brandon Brass, the Lakers are now looking to create enough cap space to absorb Hibbert's massive expiring contract.
According to Wojnarowski, the Lakers will likely have to send a player to the Pacers in order to make the trade work. The veteran NBA insider believed Nick Young is a strong candidate to be moved because of the arrival of Lou Williams.
Young, who is still eligible to pocket north of $15MM over the next three years, has presumably been placed on the trading block in the wake of his dismaying campaign in his second year with the Lakers. After putting up a career high 17.9 ppg during 2013-14 season, the former USC standout saw his stats take a nosedive last season, as he averaged 13.4 points on 36 percent shooting from the field.
Young's much-publicized rift with Lakers' head coach Byron Scott along with his brow-raising antics on and off the court has reportedly irked several members of the team's front-office, putting his tenure with the Lakers in jeopardy.
After striking out on a slew of elite big men this offseason such as LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Love and Greg Monroe to name a few, the Lakers pulled off a gamble of a transaction by agreeing to a trade with the Pacers for Hibbert.
The Pacers had been eager to dispatch Hibbert and his expiring contract worth at least $15MM. The two-time NBA All-Star center averaged 10.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game (ESPN/Stats) during the 2014-15 season, but his inconsistency the past two seasons and the Pacers' decision to adapt a faster offensive system made him an expendable item this offseason.