The Los Angeles Lakers came into the 2015-16 season with a surplus of wing players on their roster. Nick Young and Kobe Bryant were the two main pieces returning from last season and young players like Anthony Brown, Jordan Clarkson and D’Angelo Russell were looking to make a name for themselves along with newly signed veteran guard Lou Williams. Someone had to be the odd man out this season and it definitely wasn’t going to be Bryant or Williams.
Nick Young found himself sitting at the end of the bench playing behind rookies and other veterans but he didn’t complain. He stepped up when his number was called but it was rarely called. Now it’s the trade deadline and the Lakers are looking to prepare for what’s next after Kobe Bryant and that future might not include Young and Nick is interested in a playoff team.
Following from Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.
Young said he has often offered a simple message that captures his experience in a 2015-16 season that he described as “frustrating.”
“‘I want you to remember me for something in case I’m gone,’” Young recalled saying to other players in an interview with Los Angeles News Group.
“I’ll be lying if I said I’m not hearing anything,” Young said. “I don’t know if anything’s going to happen. But I’m being prepared and hoping for the best.”
Young stressed he’s “not hoping for anything,” whether it involves the Lakers retaining him or trading him. But his eyes perked up at the possibility of a postseason-bound team adding secondary scoring to fuel a deep run.
“I would love to be on a playoff team and not just be sitting and watching,” Young said. “I would love to be in a playoff atmosphere and be a part of it.”
