It seems general manager Mitch Kupchak and the front office have backed off, though, which is a great decision.
It's not hard to figure out why the Lakers have considered trading Young. He's 30 years old and a $5.2 million cap hit this season, and that number escalates over the next two years, per Spotrac. The USC product is also eccentric on and off the court and has clashed with both coach Byron Scott and Kobe Bryant at times.
To make matters worse, Young is a volume-based shooter who needed to attempt 11.3 shots per game last season just to reach an average of 13.4 points.
Still, the Lakers have backed off, per Bill Oram of the Orange County Register:
This doesn't mean the Lakers won't move Young for the right price, but how can they get that price when everyone knows he's being offered by a cap-strapped team?
Some will say the team's addition of Lou Williams signed Young's papers out of town. It's a fair thought, as the 28-year-old veteran is one of the best sixth men in the league and averaged 15.5 points with the Toronto Raptors last season.
Call it a wash, or perhaps a redundancy, though—Williams averaged 11.6 shots for 15.5 points on average.
Similar players? Sure, but the way Scott makes it sound, this is the objective.
“What I like about the roster is there is competition at every position,” Scott said, per Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. “Guys have to come every day and work and earn those minutes.”
In any sport, competition breeds the best possible lineup. If the Lakers want to bite the bullet on Young's contract and hope for a solid season, then so be it. It's not like the Lakers need the cap space, with Roy Hibbert and the other ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
