About a month ago, I wrote about Sam Young acting puzzled by his lack of minutes. Since that time, things have gotten even worse for Young in Memphis. At the time, the former Pitt star had at least been getting into games. But since, DNPCD has become synonymous with Young's name as he appeared in only two games through the entire month of February.
It definitely looks like Young is falling out of favor a bit in Memphis, but here's the thing - the team apparently has no plans on moving him at the trade deadline according to General Manager Chris Wallace.
While that could change, Wallace seems content to stand pat for now:Trade discussions in the NBA are fluid, so there is no forecasting what could come Wallace's way over the next two weeks. However, the Griz aren't shopping anyone. And that includes little-used swingman Sam Young and guard O.J. Mayo, who has been the subject of several trade discussions over the past two seasons.
"I'm a little reluctant to trade any of these guys because I'm not sure if we'll need them in the second half (of the season)," Wallace said. "Now if a deal comes through that helps put us in a better situation for the stretch run or the future, you have to take a look at it. But we're not going to do anything that will render us less competitive for the rest of this season or because of a situation we might have to deal with in the summer."
That might sound bad, but two things:
1. That's mostly GM-speak for waiting it out for the right deal.
2. Young is in the last year of his initial three-year contract. So even if the Grizzlies don't deal him, it's not the end of the world. He'll be able to look elsewhere at the end of the season and it appears likely that he won't be back in Memphis ... at least to me, anyway. He hasn't gotten enough playing time recently for the team to justify giving him a huge payday and that's probably what it will take for him to want to stay and continue riding the bench.
Now, maybe Young gets action in the last few months of the season. Or maybe someone else gets traded and Young moves up in the rotation. But for now, it looks like he might not get much more of an opportunity there. He's still a young guy and will only be 27 heading into next season. I've got to think someone will take a chance on him this summer.
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