One of the lesser talked about storylines heading into the Los Angeles Lakers offseason is what will happen with Nick Young. The veteran guard can opt-out of his contract, and after a bounce-back year, Young stands to cash in on the higher salary cap.
Young, of course, is from Los Angeles and has spoken about how much he loves playing for the Lakers. At his exit interview however, Young suggested that he may like to join a playoff team, according to Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
3: Nick Young at his Lakers exit interview: "I kind of want to get on a playoff team and see what happens…"
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) April 13, 2017
Young has made only two playoff appearances in his career, and one of those was in his rookie season with the Washington Wizards when he barely saw the floor in a six-game loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The last appearance for Young came in 2012 as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers.
With that in mind it makes perfect sense why Young may prefer to join a playoff team. He still has to make a decision on whether to opt-out or not and he hinted at it in pure Nick Young fashion:
Nick says it’s 60-40 whether he opts out or in…but wouldn’t specify which side was the 60
— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) April 13, 2017
It certainly seems as if Young is on his way out of Los Angeles. He just finished his 10th NBA season and as much as he enjoys being around the Lakers young players, experiencing some playoff success is likely higher on his list of priorities.
If Young does leave that likely means two of the most beloved veterans from this team would be gone next season as Metta World Peace was told he likely wouldn’t be back next year. Young has had his ups and downs over his four seasons with the Lakers, but he undoubtedly made his impact.
