So far, the D’Angelo Russell/Nick Young drama has played out quite poorly in the court of public opinion for D’Aangelo Russell, but has had several adverse effects on Nick Young’s actual career.
Following the fallout from footage of Russell recording Nick Young discussing his infidelity–he’s engaged to be married to Iggy Azalea–making its way to the internet, Russell has momentarily lost the trust of his teammates and has been criticized by basketball analysts and coaches league-wide. Young however, has managed to feel the brunt of the fallout in a worse manner, as trade rumors have kicked up once again, and today’s news, which is certainly a step in the direction of showing the Lakers guard the door this summer.
Los Angeles Times reporter Mike Bresnahan reported this afternoon that Young was deactivated for yesterday’s game against the Celtics, and will likely be deactivated for the final six games of the year. Why? Lakers head coach Byron Scott said Young “is not here with us mentally.”
Nick Young was deactivated for Sunday’s game and probably Lakers’ final six games. Said Byron: “Right now he’s not here with us mentally.”
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) April 4, 2016
It’s an unfortunate sequence of events for Young, who has seen his trade value plummet after inconsistent minutes and output during the latter half of the season. There’s a good chance he’s not on the Lakers next year, and he’ll be lucky if he’s on an NBA team at all.
