In an effort to clear cap space to lure high-profile free agents, the Los Angeles Lakers dangled "Swaggy P" Nick Young to potential buyers this offseason, with no team willing to take on the charismatic shooting guard.
Young compared his trade bait experience to that of a former All-Star Lakers forward who dealt with a similar situation during his final years with the franchise.
“I felt like Pau Gasol,” Young told the LA Daily News' Mark Medina.
A proposed three-team trade in 2011 had Gasol heading the Houston Rockets, Chris Paul to the Lakers, and a package including LaMar Odom, Goran Dragic, Luis Scola, and Kevin Martin going to the New Orleans Hornets (now Pelicans). The deal was eventually vetoed by former commissioner David Stern - who had control over the Hornets at the time as they remained without an owner - for "basketball reasons."
Gasol was in his fourth season as a Laker when the trade got nixed, having already brought the team back-to-back NBA championships in 2009 and 2010. Rumors continued to circulate about his future in Los Angeles until he eventually walked in free agency, signing with the Chicago Bulls in 2014.
Young said "he can already see" something similar happening to him next season.
The signing of NBA Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams to a reported three-year, $21-million contract could be a sign the Lakers are prepared to move forward without Young, with both guards possessing similar skill sets with scoring-first mentalities.
A recent meeting with general manager Mitch Kupchak was designed to alleviate any concerns Young may have about his role and future in Los Angeles, with the ninth-year pro reportedly being told he shouldn't take the Williams' signing personally.
In terms of his rocky relationship with head coach Byron Scott, Young is ready to wipe the slate clean and start anew.
"This year should be better,” Young said. “Last year we had a lot going on with the team. So there was a lot of frustration. It’s a fresh start now.”
Young has three years remaining on his four-year contract at an average of $5.4 million per season. He averaged 13.4 points on a career-low 36.6 percent shooting in 42 games during an injury-ravaged 2014-15 campaign.
