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Barnes Closer To Signing With The Lakers

Unless the Cleveland Cavaliers raise their current multiyear offer to Matt Barnes(notes) on Thursday, the free-agent forward plans to sign a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

The Cavaliers are offering as much as a three-year deal that starts around $3.5 million a season, but Barnes wants more money if he’s going to sign with a non-championship contender, sources said. Barnes would take a $1.7 million deal to join the Lakers.

Barnes had a two-year, $9 million deal with the Toronto Raptors fall apart when the Orlando Magic didn’t have enough salary-cap room available to do a sign-and-trade.

Barnes averaged 8.8 points and 5.5 rebounds in 81 games last season for the Magic.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AsEYOCtlktvSdp7kkKdGQNe8vLYF?slug=ys-barneslakers072210