Last season, Chris Kaman played for the Dallas Mavericks, where he earned eight million dollars. This upcoming season, Kaman will join Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers, where he agreed to sign to a mini mid-level exception deal worth $3.2 million for one year on Monday.
—–Check out the Lakers Nation store to get your LN gear and show off your Lakers pride!——
Kaman seems to be excited to be returning to Los Angeles as you can see in his following tweet:
It’s true, I am going to be going back to LA and it’s to play for the Lakers! I am excited about this move and can’t wait to play! #Lakers
— Chris Kaman (@ChrisKaman) July 8, 2013
According to Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times, Kaman has decided to take considerably less money to come play in Los Angeles for the Lakers. Kaman told Pincus:
“Weird coming back [to Los Angeles].”
“[I] just wanted to get on a solid team and see how far we can go,” said Kaman, who is vacationing with his wife in Hawaii. “I could have signed for more money somewhere else but the Lakers are a good option.”
Kaman echoed this message on his Twitter account after his conversation with Eric Pincus, tweeting:
It was a blessing being able to talk to several teams, but made my decision based on choosing a great franchise and a great fit, over money
— Chris Kaman (@ChrisKaman) July 9, 2013
Kaman is expected to provide a good backup center role behind Pau Gasol and the Lakers. He is a solid rebounder and low post scorer. Kaman has a career average of 11.8 ppg, 8.0 rpg, and 1.4 bpg. The big center thought that it would be best to play for a big market team with a great history and legacy such as the Lakers. Kaman is a center who is up to the challenge of playing under the bright lights of Hollywood. The Lakers believe he will play a vital role to help Gasol rebound and score in the paint.
The one-year contract for Kaman allows the Lakers to save money and cap room for 2014 when they can pursue possible free agents such as LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwayne Wade. The Lakers will have enough cap room to sign at least two big max contracts and try to contend once again for an NBA title.
This year the Lakers are not willing to take on extended contracts past 2013, hence the mini mid-level contract for Kaman. Look for the Lakers to sign other veterans to the minimum (only contract type they can offer) this summer to solidify their bench.
—————————————————————————————————————————————-
In case you missed it, be sure to check out the Lakers plan to amnesty Metta World Peace.
Don’t forget to click here to subscribe to our Lakers Nation YouTube Channel!
