OAKLAND — Nick Young’s agent called him last week with some relatively shocking news.
Steve Kerr wanted to meet with him in Los Angeles. But it was who tagged alongside the Warriors’ head coach, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green, that caught Young a little off guard.
“I was a little nervous like, dang, they really coming to meet with me?” Young told reporters Friday at Golden State’s practice facility. “(They’re) the champs.”
Believe it, Nick. The Warriors wanted you, and now they have you. The 32-year-old shooting guard signed a one-year, $5.2 million deal Friday at the team facility. And the fullcourt press involving different members of the organization helped the deal get done quickly.
After the initial meeting, Draymond’s recruiting pitch of Young continued at various Los Angeles night clubs, and kept texting in the days afterwards. Kerr himself got intel from none other than Luke Walton, Young’s head coach with the Lakers. The former Warriors assistant told Kerr that Young’s defense had been a “pleasant surprise.” Durant’s unexpected salary sacrifice opened up a door to sign Young that Bob Myers did not think would be possible. The stars all aligned again for Golden State.
Young said he tried to tone down his excitement by telling the Warriors he was going to get back to them. He tried playing it cool. But inside his mind, the fantasy of playing for a championship contender was now a reality.
“It meant a lot,” Young said. “It felt good. I felt wanted.”
Part of the Warriors’ goal every season is to have as much fun as possible, and Young’s presence adds another dynamic character into a locker room littered with humorous individuals. Interview topics ranged from his Swaggy P nickname, his tweet about bandwagon Warriors fans, his distaste for passing the basketball and whether or not he’s going to get Durant back for that hilarious welcome tweet.
Myers addressed the fact that some around the NBA have a negative perception of Young. He’s been on perennial losing teams his entire 11-year career (Wizards, 76ers, Lakers) and headlines about him are often about outrageous comments or celebrity gossip on who he’s dating.
“I know you referenced his reputation, but sometimes that’s not accurate,” Myers said. “We had a guy, JaVale (McGee), who sometimes — and I’m not even sure, I don’t personally know why Nick…I just think he has fun playing basketball. But I guess sometimes you have to be serious at what you do. But I don’t view what he does as a negative and I think he’ll fit well with what we do.
“We felt like Nick was an upgrade for a guy coming off the bench. He shoots. There’s a lot of statistics floating around, but to have a shooter like that, especially on the catch-and-shoot, a natural scorer. When we had that opportunity, we went out and grabbed him.”
Young said he’s communicated with other players around the league, who told him they are jealous. Friends excited to finally see him in the playoffs. He himself is genuinely curious how playing with a bevvy of superstars will impact his game. There’s a strong chance Young overtakes Mo Speights as Oracle Arena’s favorite son off the bench.
“I’ve never been on a team where I get so many open shots,” Young said. “I’ve always had to create for myself. But they’re not (going to be) paying attention to me, they’ll be paying attention to those guys.”
And Young can now add himself to a small list of players who have been recruited by Warriors players. It’s an honor for guys who have never won a championship. And it looks like it’ll become an annual tradition.