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  • Lakers Waive Yi Jianlian

    Sources: Los Angeles Lakers agree to terms with China star Yi Jianlian

    At least it is only a 1 year deal for minimum.

    RIO DE JANEIRO -- The Los Angeles Lakers are finalizing a deal to bring China star Yi Jianlian back to the NBA, according to league sources.

    Sources told ESPN that the Lakers and Yi have agreed to terms and are in the latter stages of cementing a one-year deal for the veteran forward to return to the NBA for the first time since the 2011-12 season.

    The Lakers, sources said, tried in the summer of 2015 to sign Yi and this year renewed those efforts in the wake of the former lottery pick's strong play in Rio on his fourth trip to the Olympics as a cornerstone player for China.

    Although the Lakers have not yet made an official announcement about the player's impending arrival and a few details are still outstanding, Yi's club team in China is operating as though the deal is done.

    The Guangdong Southern Tigers, in a statement issued Wednesday, said: "In order to help Yi seize this opportunity to play at the highest stage of [the basketball] world and unfold his capability, in order to help Yi fulfill his dream and goal, we are offering our unconditional support and cooperation to Yi to make sure he joins Lakers. Best wishes to Yi for his bright future in NBA."

    The 7-footer, now 28, has spent the past four seasons with Guangdong and averaged 20.4 points and 6.6 rebounds for China in its five games in Rio.

    Yi was the sixth overall pick by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2007 draft and also had stints with the Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards and Dallas Mavericks in parts of five seasons.

  • #2
    Yi Jianlian asks to be released by Los Angeles Lakers

    The Los Angeles Lakers waived Chinese star Yi Jianlian on Monday.

    With the Lakers facing roster cut-down decisions by 5 p.m. ET on Monday, Yi and his representatives requested that the team let him go to pursue other opportunities -- largely because the role he envisioned in Los Angeles didn't materialize.

    "Yi was productive in practices and games with us, and was a consummate professional both on and off the court," Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said in a statement. "However, he felt that the minutes and opportunities he'd be afforded here were not in line with his goals and ambitions, and that he'd be better off in a different situation. We appreciate his efforts and wish him great success as he goes forward with his career."

    After his strong play with China in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, Yi was signed by the Lakers in August to a one-year, $8 million deal that was uniquely structured, featuring $6.8 million in what the league deemed "likely" bonuses.

    But the defined role Yi expected when he agreed to leave the Guangdong Southern Tigers in his native China -- with minutes at both power forward and center -- didn't pan out as he had hoped this month, prompting the 28-year-old to seek his release.

    "Coming in, we knew we had a few young guys that we really like and want to develop and we had just signed [Timofey] Mozgov to a pretty big deal, so he was really going to have to outplay everybody to get big minutes, because of the players we needed to develop," coach Luke Walton said. "He did a great job. He was great while he was here. He proves that he belongs in this league, but I don't think at the end of it that he was happy with the minutes that it looked like, at least, he was getting. So they asked for the release."

    The Lakers had been pursuing Yi for the past two offseasons before they finally managed to sign him to a deal and bring him back to the NBA.

    It was not immediately known whether Yi would try to catch on with another‎ NBA team or look to return to the Chinese Basketball Association.

    The 7-footer was the No. 6 pick by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2007 draft. He also had stints with the Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards and Dallas Mavericks in parts of five NBA seasons. Yi spent the past four seasons with Guangdong, and he averaged 20.4 points and 6.6 rebounds for China in its five games in Rio.

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