Nick Young Reportedly Opts to Become Free Agent: Latest Details, Reaction

Los Angeles Lakers swingman Nick Young is known for his colorful personality and volume shooting, which makes him a bit of a wild card on the court.  

Young had a big decision to make on whether to stay in L.A. or test free agency this offseason, and on Tuesday, he reportedly elected to decline his player option for the 2014-15 NBA season.


ESPN's SportsCenter account passed along the news:



In his first and only season playing in coach Mike D'Antoni's fast-paced offense, Young averaged a career-high 17.9 points to lead the Lakers in scoring, despite coming off the bench. The problem was that neither Young nor his teammates played much defense, leading to a woeful season without superstar Kobe Bryant for most of it.



But at least Young garnered respect for his scoring prowess, as Lakers.com's Mike Trudell pointed out:



D'Antoni resigned in May, and the Lakers are in the market for a new coach, making the situation in L.A. a little murky. The man known as "Swaggy P" put his name in for consideration:



BasketballInsiders.com's Lang Greene reported on Young's status on May 28:

A source very close to Young recently told Basketball Insiders the Los Angeles native would prefer to wear a Lakers uniform next season despite the uncertainty of the team’s roster and the vacant head coach position. 

However, the source fully believes Young will elect to opt out of his deal this summer in order to fully evaluate his options on the free agent circuit in July. [...]

According to the source, the purpose of opting out of his deal would be driven by the desire to lock up a more lucrative long term contract with the Lakers. But at the end of the day anything can happen during free agency and that’s where keeping all options open has importance.

As a Los Angeles native who went on to shin...

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