According to a report from Shams Charania of Yahoo! Sports, the Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to a $2.3 million veteran-minimum contract with 32-year-old free agent center Andrew Bogut.
The Aussie 7-footer was the no. 1 overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft and started for the Golden State Warriors when they won the NBA title in 2015. After being traded to Dallas in the summer of 2016 to help create the salary cap space required to sign Kevin Durant, Bogut eventually found his way onto the Cleveland Cavaliers ahead of the 2017 NBA Playoffs.
Unfortunately, Bogut suffered a broken leg as a member of the Cavs, but the big man has reportedly recovered from the injury and provides the Lakers a second center capable of starting, or at least a legitimate backup center known for rim protection and inteligent play.
According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, Bogut's contract is not guaranteed, but the likelihood of Bogut making the Lakers' roster is high. With the Lakers already at 14 guaranteed contracts, Bogut's arrival signals the completion of the 2017-18 NBA roster for the Lakers less than a week shy of Media Day, which signals the start of training camp.
Lonzo Ball and Tyler Ennis are the two true point guards on the Lakers' roster, along with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Jordan Clarkson and Josh Hart as the other natural guards.
Brandon Ingram and Corey Brewer are the two true small forwards, but Luol Deng's best chance to get time may come at that position. Julius Randle and Larry Nance Jr. expect to split time at power forward for the third year in a row, while rookie Kyle Kuzma should be begging for minutes off the bench.
At center, the Lakers have a logjam of Brook Lopez, Ivica Zubac and rookie Thomas Bryant, with Bogut likely to step in front of second-year Zubac on the depth chart. Bryant is a 20-year-old rookie, so one would expect him to spend considerable time with the South Bay Lakers, LA's re-branded NBA G-League team.
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With Bogut, the roster would be set at 15 players, with point guard Alex Caruso already holding one of the two new two-way contracts with the team. LA still has one two-way contract to give out, and Vander Blue is probably the best bet to secure that spot considering he was the NBA Development League MVP in 2016-17.
Bogut, of course, spent time with Lakers coach Luke Walton when Walton was an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors from 2014 to 2016, so the coach being familiar with the player likely played a role in the decision to bring Bogut in. The partial guarantee on the contract, though, effectively protects the Lakers against any potential injuries the center may suffer in training camp or preseason.
If Bogut can remain healthy, though, one would imagine the Lakers have their 2017-18 NBA roster set.
