Former Warriors center JaVale McGee will sign a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, ESPN’s Chris Haynes reported Sunday. McGee will join four-time NBA MVP LeBron James in Los Angeles.
Free agent center JaVale McGee and Los Angeles Lakers have reached an agreement on a deal, league sources tell ESPN.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 2, 2018
Sources: It’s a one-year, minimum deal to pry away the big man from Golden State. https://t.co/TU3NHrJ6Ri
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 2, 2018
McGee, 30, joined the Warriors prior to the 2016-17 season and played roles in both NBA championship runs. He started three of the four 2018 NBA Finals games in Golden State’s sweep of the James-led Cleveland Cavaliers.
It was highly unlikely the Warriors would re-sign McGee, who entered unrestricted free agency this year. McGee was deployed situationally and took a backseat to Kevon Looney for long stretches of the playoffs. The Warriors will now move forward with younger big men, including Looney, Jordan Bell, and Damian Jones.
The dominoes have started to fall after James signing with the Lakers, with McGee joining former Pacers guard Lance Stephenson on the Lakers. They also re-signed guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
McGee will play for his sixth team in 11 seasons.
