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On a day of seismic roster shakeup that saw them add LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers are adding another NBA Champion: Former Golden State Warriors center JaVale McGee:
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
McGee’s deal will almost certainly be for the veteran’s minimum, and his addition makes some sense given that the Lakers’ only seven-footer currently on the roster was Ivica Zubac.
It had previously leaked that the Lakers were interested in McGee, and now that they’ve added James signing him makes even more sense. As pointed out when the Lakers signed Lance Stephenson, James was always going to necessitate adding veterans he respected to the roster.
McGee’s constant targeting by Shaq for humiliation on “Shaqtin a Fool” has made him a bit of an internet joke, but McGee has proven to be a thoughtful presence on a roster that James got waxed by in the last two NBA Finals. That isn’t to say McGee was the primary reason for that, but he was effective at times and has veteran savvy and habits that he can help James impart upon the Lakers’ young roster.
One of those young players, Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma, was excited to see a fellow Flint, Michigan native on the roster:
Yeaaaa flint represented heavy for the lakeshow welcome brother @JaValeMcGee
— kuz (@kylekuzma) July 2, 2018
McGee’s deal does not impact the Lakers’ further free agent spending power, although presumably outside of a trade the Lakers have to be getting close to rounding out the rest of their roster.
Stay tuned to Silver Screen and Roll for further NBA free agency coverage. To track all of the latest free agency rumors about the Lakers, go to this page.You can follow Harrison on Twitter at @hmfaigen.