Nick Young says he plans to help the Los Angeles Lakers with free agency pitches this offseason, and revealed that he’s already spoken to Goran Dragic.
“I told Goran Dragic on the court, ‘You might be my teammate next year.’” Young told the L.A. News Group shortly after the Lakers’ loss on Monday to the Phoenix Suns.
“I‘ll talk to Marc (Gasol). Me and him are cool. Kevin Love, I’ll talk to him.”
Dragic, Gasol, and Love are among the top players set to become free agents after this season.
The Lakers tried wooing top free agents last offseason, including LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, but weren’t able to. Instead, they re-signed Young to a four-year, $21 million deal.
“It’s tough, but I know it’s going to get better,” Young said. “This offseason is going to be big for us. It’s going to work out.”
Kobe Bryant will likely play the lead role in trying to attract free agents, but he has not yet mentioned any targets.
There has been some talk about Kobe retiring after this season, which would open up more cap space for attracting free agents. Without Bryant, the team would only have $10.1 million committed to three players--Young, Julius Randle, and Ryan Kelly.
