NBA Rumors: Los Angeles Lakers Will Cut Nick Young If Trade Cannot Be Found

In the NBA, chemistry is sometimes more important than skills. According to Los Angeles Sports Hub, the Los Angeles Lakers are going to release Nick Young if they are not able to find a suitable trade partner before the regular season starts. The Lakers are willing to pay the 6-foot-7 shooting guard millions of dollars to not be with the team.

Despite being 31 years old and having been in the NBA for nearly a decade, very few people in the world of sports consider Nick Young to be a veteran mentor. The Los Angeles native is more known for being a shooter that occasionally has explosive nights on the court and explosive moments off of it.

Since the Los Angeles Lakers are in a rebuilding period, they value younger players a bit more than older ones that might not be around when the team becomes a contender in the NBA again.

Lakers Continue Exploring Ways To Part With Nick Young: https://t.co/bm9Zc1kpvh pic.twitter.com/lkscsR7taC

— RealGM (@RealGM) August 17, 2016

Back in March, controversy erupted from within the Los Angeles Lakers locker room. D’Angelo Russell had filmed a private conversation with Nick Young and uploaded the video to a social media website, as explained by SB Nation. The move caused issues between Young and celebrity singer Iggy Azalea. It also made Russell the villain of the public for doing something that is viewed as forbidden.

While D’Angelo Russell was viewed as the villain in the situation, the Los Angeles Lakers made the business decision to side with their 20-year-old point guard. Russell has more value to the Lakers in the long-term than Nick Young does.

As of right now, Nick Young has two years left on his contract. The Los Angeles Lakers owe him approximately $11 million. That is a price that management is willing to pay in order to maintain a positive locker room and practice environment for their younger players.

The goal for the Los Angeles Lakers is to build the squad around D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, and Julius Randle. Larry Nance, Jr looks like he could be sticking around for a while. Plus, the Lakers were fortunate enough to be able to select Duke star Brandon Ingram with the third overall pick in the NBA Draft.

It is also the reason why the Los Angeles Lakers were willing to hand a five-year contract to Luke Walton to become their new head coach. The former Golden State Warriors assistant head coach is viewed as someone that is still young enough to relate to players of this generation.

For his part, Nick Young has tried to ensure that he maintains his roster spot with the Los Angeles Lakers. The former 16th overall pick in the NBA Draft recently told the media that he was ready and willing to mend fences with D’Angelo Russell.

As someone that truly loves the nightlife that southern California has to offer, Nick Young is going to want to make sure that he can still work in the city of Los Angeles. It makes it easier for him to be in the center of the Entertainment Capital of the World.

While no NBA teams are allowed to express interest in Nick Young, do not be surprised if the former USC Trojans star tries to get himself a spot on the Los Angeles Clippers bench. Team president and head coach Doc Rivers has been looking for more depth, so the possibility cannot be completely ruled out for now.

In the NBA, you have to play nice with others, especially if you’re not one of the transcending stars. Nick Young is far from being on that level, so it makes sense that the Los Angeles Lakers would be willing to pay him to leave.

[Photo by Harry How/Getty Images]