Point guard Jeremy Lin and guard-forward Nick Young are prime candidates for trade, and the latest development shows that the process is halfway through.
Lin, whom the Dallas Mavericks were aggressively pursuing, has ended up with the Charlotte Hornets after agreeing to a two-year deal worth $4 million. The point guard made it official when he posted the deal via his Instagram account.
During the 2013–14 season, Young, a shooting guard-cum-small forward, converted a record seven four-point plays while averaging career-highs of 17.9 points and 1.5 assists per game.
After signing a four-year contract worth $21 million with the Lakers on July 21, 2014, however, Young was hardly the same player who earlier made an impact in Los Angeles.
While in training camp, Young suffered a complete tear of the radial collateral ligament in his right thumb and was expected to miss six to eight weeks. After missing the first 10 games of the season with the injury, however, Young played on November 18 against the Atlanta Hawks. In less than 28 minutes off the bench, he scored 17 points and hauled down five rebounds in the 114-109 win.
With Kobe Bryant around and expected to be back in full force, Young will likely not get that many minutes, and that makes him dispensable.
The Lakers need to make room for Hibbert, who carries a $15.5-million contract heading into next season. Aside from Lin and Young, other players that could be on their way out include Robert Sacre and Ryan Kelly.
Lin's deal with the Hornets closes the door on the Mavericks, who were rumored to be interested in Lin because of their shallow point guard rotation. The Mavs had already lost Rajon Rondo and Monta Ellis to free agency, and Lin would have been a good fit. Aside from that, the Mavs were strong candidates, especially with Chandler Parsons included in the negotiation process.
With Lin out of the mix, the Mavs may have to look for someone else to beef up their backcourt needs. As it turns out, Lin found a team where he could truly fit in and play freely. This will be Lin's fifth team in six NBA seasons. The point guard put up numbers of 11.2 points and 4.6 assists per game as a Laker, but as everyone knows, things didn't really pan out for the Asian-American last year.
