Swingman Nick "Swaggy P" Young has been providing them all season: some good (he's a social media star), some rough (errant 360 layup attempt, premature three-point celebration) and some best labeled simply as "other" (his unique fashion and nickname handed down from the heavens).
L.A. enters the offseason littered with question marks.
The team has yet to settle on Mike D'Antoni's replacement. The roster is nearly barren, save for sizable commitments made to aging veterans Kobe Bryant ($23.5 million) and Steve Nash ($9.7 million), plus a low-cost salary ($0.9 million) for low-ceiling reserve Robert Sacre.
The Lakers have the means to be buyers in the NBA free-agent market, but they might be motivated to retain that flexibility for next summer. They also hold the No. 7 selection in June's draft, which could bring them a good player but perhaps one that needs some seasoning.
In other words, things could conceivably get worse before they get any better.
So it would seem to be in that sense that L.A. would have its biggest interest in hanging on to the undisputed king of swag. With entertainment on life support for the Purple and Gold, Young could be a badly needed source of levity.
But that's not the reason the Lakers make re-signing him an offseason priority. No, this would be a basketball decision.
Young owns a $1.2 million player option for next season, but he's been transparent about his plans to get out of his current deal. As NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper explained in April, the Lakers' unabashed gunner is ready to cash in on his breakout season:
While Swaggy P bathes in the attention of the uncertainty, Nick Young has made up his mind to opt out of his contract with the Lakers and become a free agent this summer, he strongly indi...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
