Nick Young has chosen to join the defending NBA Champion Golden State Warriors to try to help them win their third championship in four seasons. Young, who played for the Los Angeles Lakers the last four seasons, chose to sign a one-year mid-level deal. This is another huge move for the Warriors in an offseason where the best team in the NBA continues to get better.
Nick Young’s NBA career
Nick Young got his start in the NBA as a first-round pick in 2007 by the Washington Wizards. After turning into a star in 2010-11, he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers and then moved on to the Philadelphia 76ers for one season and then to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2013.
Young had his best season with the Lakers in his first year there, averaging 17.9 points-per-game as a bench player. Last season, Young enjoyed a resurgence in Los Angeles, starting for the first time since joining the team and averaging 13.2 points-a-game as the team’s shooting guard. Young will enter his 11th season in the NBA in Golden State.
Nick Young in Golden State
Nick Young will return to his role as a bench player when he joins the Golden State Warriors. Young will serve as the primary backup for Warriors’ All-Star shooting guard Klay Thompson. Kevin Durant welcomed Young to Golden State by tweeting a photo of Young celebrating after shooting a three-point shot last season. The humorous part of the photo is that the shot missed, so this was Durant poking fun at his new teammate.
According to ESPN, Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton has a close relationship with the Golden State Warriors franchise. It was hinted at that Walton might have helped put in the good word for Nick Young to help him get this deal. Along with Nick Young, the Warriors also signed Omri Casspi, a small forward who has played for five different teams over his NBA career, including two stops with the Sacramento Kings.
Casspi played for three teams last season, including the Kings, Minnesota Timberwolves, and New Orleans Pelicans.
Nick Young’s new contract
Nick Young signed a one-year contract with the Golden State Warriors worth $5.2 million. Young, 32, just adds more muscle to the team that already stands as the strongest in the NBA by a long shot.
This signing follows the $201 million contract Steph Curry signed as well as the discount contract signed by Kevin Durant and the return contracts for both Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston. The Warriors still want to re-sign center JaVale McGee as well.