Nick Young, formerly with the Los Angeles Lakers, signed a one-year deal with the Golden State Warriors. The contract is worth $5.2 million.
Young became a free agent during the off-season, allowing the 32-year-old to make a deal with the reigning NBA champions. The Lakers acquiring Young came shortly after Kevin Durant signed a three-year deal with them at a discount, Sports Illustrated reported.
How did Young fare last season
Nick Young, also known as Swaggy P, averaged 13.2 points per game with the Lakers last season. He shot 40.4 percent from beyond the three-point line. He is compared in skillset to a second-tier Paul George or Gordon Hayward after his performance last season.
The Golden State Warriors have been very active during free agency, re-signing Andre Iguodala to a three-year deal worth $48 million. Shaun Livingston also inked a three-year contract worth $27 million. The Warriors also signed Steph Curry to a supermax deal worth $201 million and then re-signed Kevin Durant as well.
Durant’s contract is worth $53 million for two years. He reportedly was willing to take lesser pay if Iguodala did not re-sign with the Golden State Warriors to help them find a replacement. The Warriors eyed Rudy Gay as a possibility if that happened.
What made Young sign with Warriors
The Lakers offered Young $5.7 million but he still chose to sign with the Warriors. The Warriors plan to use Young because he can play a number of positions in the court, Bleacher Report shared.
His accuracy when making three point shots is one of the reasons why the Golden State Warriors signed him. Los Angeles Lakers’ head coach, Luke Walton said in a statement that they would miss Young’s defense because he usually guarded the opposing team’s best perimeter player. Young also said during a recent interview that he felt wanted when Golden State offered him a contract.
Young’s name was tainted with controversy two years ago after his former Lakers teammate, D’Angelo Russell, secretly videoed him talking about meeting other women in bars. During that time, Young was engaged to rapper Iggy Azalea. Shortly thereafter, it went downhill for him as they broke the engagement off and he did not perform well for a number of weeks after the break-up. After many critics advised Young to focus on playing and leave his problems outside the court, the former Lakers' star started playing well again.