Mark Bartelstein, Young's agent, confirmed that the 29-year-old will not pick up his player option and will become a free agent, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin. According to Spotrac, Young would have made just $1.2 million had he stayed on his new deal, and considering what he did last season, it just wasn't realistic for Young to stay with the Lakers on such a cheap deal.
During a season where the Lakers went just 27-55 to finish dead last in the Pacific Division, Young was one of the few bright spots. While starting in just nine games, Young averaged 17.9 points and 2.6 rebounds per game while shooting 43.5 percent from the floor.
As the season went on, Young continued to get better and better. As Craig Sager Jr. points out, he averaged an impressive 25.6 points per game during the final five games of the season.
With those kinds of numbers, Young could test the market and get a big payday, but he's expressed before that he would like to stay in Los Angeles.
"I always wanted to be a Laker and it will be a dream come true to still be here, but it's crazy," Young said back in April, according to McMenamin. "You never know what happens. Last year they had a whole different team. It's obvious they're going to make some changes."
In a report back in late May, Lang Greene from Basketball Insiders wrote that Young would prefer to stay, even with the still-vacant coaching position and a wide-open roster.
The good news for Swaggy P is that he knows the Lakers can afford to re-sign him. According to HoopsHype.com, the Lakers have just $35.3 million in payroll for next season, giving them plenty of cap room. That cap space could get even bigger,...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
