On the heels of his best NBA season, seven-year veteran swingman Nick Young has alerted the Los Angeles Lakers that he will not be picking up the player option on his two-year deal and plans to become a free agent.
With Kobe Bryant sidelined for all but six games, the 29-year-old Young averaged 18 points, three rebounds and two assists for the Lakers last season, who nonetheless finished with a franchise-worst 27-55 record.
Nick Young blasts Lakers teammates for not standing up for him
A native Californian and one of the league's most colorful players, the man known as Swaggy P has made no secret of his preference to remain in L.A., but he seems just as intent on trying to secure a more lucrative deal for himself than the $1.2 million the Lakers were slated to pay him next season.
"I always wanted to be a Laker and it will be a dream come true to still be here, but it's crazy," he recently told ESPN. "You never know what happens. Last year, they had a whole different team. It's obvious they're going to make some changes."
Besides Bryant, who inked a two-year, $48 million extension early last season, the Lakers only have Steve Nash and Robert Sacre under contract for next season. The team also owns the No. 7 pick in this week's NBA draft.
The team is still looking for a replacement for coach Mike D'Antoni, who resigned soon after the season when the team declined to give him an extension. Former Lakers star Byron Scott is rumored to be the leading candidate to land the job.
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