Lakers Free Agency Rumors: Brandon Bass to opt out of contract, become free agent

Los Angeles Lakers reserve forward Brandon Bass will opt out of the second year of the two-year deal he signed last summer to become an unrestricted free agent, according to Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com.

This is an unsurprising move from Bass, who had a strong year as the Lakers' primary backup center following a rough start, averaging 7.2 points and 4.3 rebounds on 54.9 percent shooting in 20.3 minutes per game.

Those relatively small numbers belie how effective Bass was, posting the best net rating on the team among player playing more than 20 minutes per game, with the Lakers only being outscored by 2.6 points per 100 possessions while Bass was on the floor. That may not sound like much, but is a very good number on a team that was outscored by an average of 10.7 points points per 100 possessions over the course of the season.

Bass won't be the Lakers' first priority in free agency, so it's likely he'll sign elsewhere while the front office shoots for the stars. However, if the Lakers miss out on the big fish or still need front court depth following their other free agency efforts, they could do a lot worse than bringing back Bass.