With the NBA trading market will begin to heat up within the next month and any team with a losing record is subject to be sellers in hopes of creating salary cap space while acquiring draft picks for the future. The Los Angeles Lakers will be one of those teams as they aim to build past the Kobe Bryant era. With a group of young players already headlining the roster, the Lakers could be ready to make moves of the veterans and it could start with Nick Young.
Young is no stranger to trade rumors. The star was the subject of many last season, but the Lakers never pulled off a deal. Now with the team struggling once again, Young is apparently available, but will a deal get finalized? According to ESPN.com and the Los Angeles Daily News, Young leads trade candidates for the Lakers heading into the trading period. According to sources Young has been on the outs with the organization for some time now. The team has moved on from him being a part of the future and is now simply trying to find someone to take him off their hands. The issue is that Young is signed through the 2017-18 season with a contract that pays him north of $5 million per season.
Michael Pina of Bleacher Report reports that the Lakers have no chance of finding a trade partner to take on Young. If his contract did not already hurt him, his recent on-court behavior certainly will. The star was ejected from a game after shoving Anthony Tolliver and then was force to not play in the following game. Given his hot and cold shooting streaks and attitude, the Lakers might be stuck with Young.
If the team was really aiming to get a trade done, Jordan Clarkson or Lou Williams highlight the best assets available. Clarkson has been one of the better performers for the Lakers this season, but if the team is set on moving forward with D'Angelo Russell then there is no point in keeping Clarkson around as he prepares to hit restricted free agency. Williams is another player who struggled early, but has since stepped his game up leading the reserves while getting the occasional start. However, his numbers are not great and given his cheap contract, Williams could be on the move if the Lakers can get a nice return.
For now, the Lakers might not be able to afford to part ways with either Williams or Clarkson. Russell and Julius Randle are not playing well as both were benched earlier last week. Clarkson and Williams were both in starting roles as a result. Head coach Byron Scott told ESPN that the younger players needed more time to grow, making Clarkson and Williams valuable for now.
