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Lakers reportedly agree to minimum deal with Troy Brown Jr.

The Lakers are loading up on young backcourt players early in free agency, reportedly agreeing to a deal with Troy Brown Jr.

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Chicago Bulls v Minnesota Timberwolves Photo by David Berding/Getty Images

The Lakers clearly have a clear intent on getting younger as they have reportedly agreed to a deal with Troy Brown Jr. The former first-round pick was not tendered a qualifying offer by the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Last season, the 6’6’’ Brown played 16 minutes per game across 66 games for the Bulls, starting seven of them. He averaged just 4.3 points per contest and shot 35.3% from beyond the 3-point line. That figure represents both a career-best mark for Brown, and one that is a tick below league average, signifying some of the struggles he’s had during his short career.

Brown is a career 33.7% 3-point shooter and has hit just 42.9% of his total field goals in four years in the league. Originally drafted by the Wizards with the No. 15 pick, Brown was part of a three-team deal that included seven players total between Washington, Boston and Chicago.

A change of scenery did little to help Brown as his minutes and production decreased with a competitive Chicago team this season. Brown fell out of the rotation late in the year, playing in 10 of the final 15 games of the season but seeing less than seven minutes of action in seven of those games. Two of the exceptions came in the final two games of the season when the Bulls rested their regular role players.

For Brown, the Lakers represent another change of scenery and, potentially, another chance to make an impact for what could be (if things go badly) the final time in his career. If nothing else, Brown is an example of the team’s commitment to get younger, faster and more athletic as he, Lonnie Walker IV and Damian Jones — the team’s first three signings of the day — all are 27 years old or younger.

After piecing together a team last year that was full of aging veteran pieces, the Lakers are shifting far in the other direction this season, a sensible idea that hopefully garners a much greater degree of success than last offseason’s team-building methodology did.

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