Lakers Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz on Nick Young's Status with LA

Nick Young's future with the Los Angeles Lakers was shrouded in mystery for a few weeks at the start of free agency, as Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reported. But it appears as though Swaggy P is sticking with the Purple and Gold through the start of the 2015-16 campaign. 

According to the Los Angeles Daily News' Mark Medina, the Lakers are resigned to bringing Young back despite the team's surplus of volume-scoring wings: 

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Lakers forward Nick Young recently met with general manager Mitch Kupchak, according to league sources familiar with the situation.

It is not entirely clear what Young and Kupchak addressed in their meeting. It is typical for Kupchak to meet with players to discuss both professional and private issues. But the conversation at least left Young feeling comfortable enough that he will enter the 2015-16 season on the Lakers’ roster, according to a source familiar with his thinking.

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On July 13, Bill Oram of the Orange County Register tweeted that the Lakers "called around seeking suitors so they could clear cap room quickly. Didn't materialize." 

Young is due $5.2 million this season and $5.4 million the next before he's presented with a $5.6 million player option for the 2017-18 season, according to Spotrac. That's hardly a debilitating payout considering the salary cap is scheduled to jump into the $80 million range in 2016, but Young's presence is a bit redundant now with reigning Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams in tow on a three-year, $21 million deal. 

While it remains to be seen if Young starts at small forward or comes off the bench as a microwave scorer, it's hard to envision L.A.'s offense prospering with Williams, Young and Kobe Bryant all competing for touches on the perimeter. 

"With this many capable shot creators, the question of shot distribution and sharing of the ball will almost surely be something worth monitoring throughout the season," Forum Blue and Gold's Darius Soriano wrote. 

According to Lakers.com's Mike Trudell, Williams described one way both he and Young can fulfill their shot quotas at his introductory press conference: 

However, giving those two free rein to let it fly could muddy the offensive waters. And for a team that ranked 23rd in offensive rating (100.8) a year ago, that would be an unwelcome sight. 

Last season, Young used more than three dribbles to set up 42.7 percent of his shots. Williams resided in similar company, putting the ball on the floor at least three times before 45.9 percent of his looks. 

Those numbers indicate both players are capable of grinding the offense to a standstill, and the Lakers can't let that become commonplace with capable ball-handlers like D'Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson on the floor.  

Player	GP	PPG	FG%	3P%	PER	Offensive Rating
Lou Williams	80	15.5	40.4%	34.0%	19.9	114
Nick Young	42	13.4	36.6%	36.9%	14.2	105

Instead, the Lakers' young distributive minds need to try and set up Young and Williams for catch-and-shoot looks on the wings via drive-and-kick opportunities. Last season, Young converted 37.4 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes, while Williams drilled 39.9 percent of his. 

According to Medina, Young has started focusing on his ability to make an impact without the ball in his hands: 

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Once his swollen left knee healed in early May, Young reported training privately near the Valley, telling Los Angeles News Group he has listened to Scott’s advice on spending his offseason to improve his decision making, playing off-the-ball and off-ball defense.

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Young's desire to improve in a variety of problem areas is encouraging. But at this point, the Lakers know what they have in Swaggy P. He's a streaky shooter and flimsy defender who toes a fine line between boom and bust each night. 

With a lifetime defensive rating of 113 and a career field-goal percentage of 42.3, Young was already an enigma. And now that he's dealing with a logjam on the wing, his suddenly repetitive skill set is in danger of getting marginalized. 

All statistics courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com unless noted otherwise.