Los Angeles Lakers claim Carlos Boozer off waivers

The Los Angeles Lakers won the Carlos Boozer amnesty auction, and will claim him off waivers, according to several reports. Boozer was amnestied by the Chicago

The Los Angeles Lakers won the Carlos Boozer amnesty auction, and will claim him off waivers, according to several reports. 

Boozer was amnestied by the Chicago Bulls Tuesday, a salary cap casualty after the team signed center Pau Gasol and forward Nikola Mirotic this offseason. 

The Lakers have signed several veterans in the offseason, including bringing back guard Nick Young and forward Jordan Hill. L.A. also traded for Houston Rockets point guardJeremy Lin and drafted Julius Randle with the seventh overall pick in the draft. 

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Boozer struggled last season, averaging just 13.7 points, his lowest mark since his rookie year. Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau frequently held Boozer out of the fourth quarter of games entirely, opting to go with defensive-minded forward Taj Gibson instead. 

The Lakers went 27-55 last year. They are the only team in the NBA yet to hire a head coach, though guard Kobe Bryanthas said publicly that he would like the Lakers to hire Byron Scott. 

- Alex Hampl