Report: Lakers in discussions to sign former lottery pick Yi Jianlian
The Lakers are in “advanced discussions” to sign former lottery pick Yi Jianlian, reports ESPN’s Marc Stein.
The deal is expected to be worth around $8 million for one season, Stein reports.
Jianlian, who is currently playing for China in the Rio Olympics, has not played in the NBA since the 2011–12 season, when he appeared in 30 games for the Dallas Mavericks. Since then, he has played for the Guangdong Southern Tigers in the Chinese Basketball Association.
Jianlian arrived in the NBA with much hype in 2007. The Bucks selected him with the No. 6 pick in the 2007 NBA draft, and he played in 66 games his rookie year.
• The messiest breakups in NBA history
Jianlian played only one season in Milwaukee before he was traded to the Nets. He played two seasons with the team before a year each in Washington and Dallas.
In 272 career NBA games, Jianlian has averaged 7.9 points and 4.9 rebounds in 22.2 minutes per game.