Nick Young (Photo : Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly planning to trade away Nick Young in the offseason, according to the latest NBA rumors.
The Lakers have been trying endlessly to get rid of Young from the their roster, but it seems the Purple and Gold have found the right timing to trade Swaggy P. According to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times, the Lakers are likely to move Young this offseason amid growing tension in the team's locker room after Russell privately taped a conversation with the 30-year-old shooting guard.
"The Lakers tried to trade Young, 30, each of the last two seasons as his production dropped. There were no takers. They will likely try to find a home for him again this off-season, which won't be easy with a player who didn't even get off the bench in eight games last month," Bresnahan wrote.
Apparently the Lakers are not too big for Young and Russell, and many have been speculating that the drama between the two would only get solved by trading either one of them, or probably both. However, Young's production this season would probably make it hard for LA to find potential trade partners.
Young has dropped in form and lost significant playing minutes this season, only averaging 7.3 points on 33.9 percent shooting from the field, while playing 19.1 minutes per game. But if in in his top shape, Young could still be a reliable option off the bench and could help any contender offensively.
It would be hard to gauge every teams' needs until after the playoffs, but Young seems a good fit with the other team in LA.
The Los Angeles Clippers only have JJ Redick and Jamal Crawford as their real perimeter threat. Adding Young would boost their option of players who could spread the floor and shoot the ball from outside the paint.
Contender teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers and Memphis Grizzlies would also be intriguing possible destinations for Young, although there is no confirmation yet if those teams have any interests in adding Young to their roster.
Nevertheless, Young appears to be a legitimate candidate to be the Lakers' trade piece this offseason, with the eight-year NBA veteran refusing to forgive Russell's antics.
"Nick doesn't want to play with D'Angelo," Emy LaCroix of Hollywood Life wrote, citing an exclusive source to Young's situation. "He is not going to forgive him over this and he is so disgusted with the whole situation that he has asked to be traded in the off-season, or to have the team trade D'Angelo."
