With the departures of many of the players from last year’s roster in free agency, the Los Angeles Lakers will look much different during the 2015-16 NBA season. After signing Brandon Bass, Lou Williams and trading for Roy Hibbert, the roster seems to be coming together without much movement left to be made.
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Although it appears the Lakers brass is fairly content with the roster they’ve put together, a few more moves could be made with trade rumors continuing to circulate. Nick Young is the one player currently on the roster with an uncertain future moving forward. Head coach Byron Scott made it clear he needs to drastically improve his game on both ends of the floor to have a future in Los Angeles.
During the NBA Summer League, Coach Scott was asked about Young and the improvements the veteran is trying to make in order to remain in Los Angeles long-term. Scott said the following about his sixth man, via Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News:
“I don’t know what he’s doing,” said Scott, who said he has only talked with Young twice this offseason. “If he’s saying that’s what he’s doing, then that’s what I believe he’s doing.”
At times, Young can be the best offensive weapon for the Lakers behind Kobe Bryant. Young has the ability to score 20 to 30 points off the bench on any given night, but he’s always been a liability defensively and it seems to have finally caught up with him.
It would seem as though Young has one foot with the way Coach Scott talks about the veteran guard/forward, especially after the signing of a similar player in Lou Williams. However, having had no takers for Young in this off-season, it now looks as if the Lakers will be keeping Young around for the time being.
Along with Young, Ryan Kelly and Robert Sacre have also been mentioned in trade rumors over the last few weeks. It’s still not out of the realm of possibility that one or all three of these players are dealt before next season.
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