Lakers’ GM says Los Angeles wants Nick Young to be a Laker ‘for a long time’

Nick Young is one of the most fun players to watch in the NBA. He has one of the most interesting personalities in the league, and he likes to take a silly approach to things.

He has always been known as a gunner, and he never really saw significant minutes since he left Washington in 2011 due to his shot selection. Now, he is getting his chance in Los Angeles this season. He is playing over 28 minutes per game this season, and he leads the league in bench points. He also leads the Lakers in scoring with over 16 points per game, and has been one of their best players this season.

He, like most players on the Lakers this season, is a free agent next season (has a player option, but will opt out), and he is hoping to earn himself a big contract this summer. In an interview with Mike Trudell of Lakers.com, Lakers’ GM Mitch Kupchak wants Young to stay in Los Angeles for the foreseeable future:

"He’s been great. Where it ends up remains to be seen. But I would credit his agent (Mark Bartelstein). I’m almost positive Nick had more lucrative offers. But what the agent did was look around the league for the spot he thought the kid could have a good year. Playing time, style of play, etc. … sometimes it can be a negative going back to your hometown, but he’d been through that with the Clippers. The agent, whom I spoke to for a long time about this, had to get to that place. Nick wanted to be here, and understandably, players and agents need to look at the dollars. There were more lucrative offers, but our roster provided ample playing time and the style of play fit, and Nick and his family bought into it. Going forward, there are a number of things to determine. Who knows. Money is important to Nick as to all players, but you can watch him play and he just loves to play. Some guys treat it as a job, but Nick loves to play. He has fun and basketball is a big part of who it is. Whatever he decides to do with his opt out … we’d certainly like to see him be a Laker for a long time."

It’s been a long and disastrous season for LA, but they have brighter days ahead. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to sign Young to a new deal that is reasonable, but it would be unwise to give him money they could use to lure a star in free agency. These are interesting times for the Lakers, and we will see if Kupchak has some tricks up his sleeve.