And while Young has consistently maintained his first choice is to return to the Lakers, he hadn’t gone so far as to say he’d do it at a discount.
Until now:
Medina’s interview features a number of interesting quotes from Young, who recently returned from a vacation in Cabo, Mexico, we can only assume was spent hanging out at the local public library:
It depends how much the discount is. But as a player, everyone wants a place they feel comfortable at. I feel comfortable in L.A. But I can’t keep taking these discounts. I need a raise a little bit. But if it’s for the right cost and they’re bringing in players and I fit into the rotation, then I’ll probably take a pay cut.
Young is sure to receive his fair share of offers, all of which will doubtless be for more than his comparatively paltry payday last season.
But beyond roots and deep pockets, the Lakers offer Young something few other teams can—a blank slate of a roster desperate for some semblance of continuity and stability:
I think I could stick to my same role and help out Kobe. He has to come out of the game sometime. If they get another good player, they have to come out of the game sometime. I’ll be their Jamal Crawford. The Clippers have a sixth man of the year. The Lakers need to have one too.
There is, however, a flip side to this logic, as Basketball Insiders’ Yannis Koutroupis recently illustrated:
The Lakers have their sights set on making big splashes this summer, though, and retaining Young at a higher rate doesn’t exactly guarantee marked improvement. Kobe...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
