The Los Angeles Lakers surprised a lot of people before entering the 2016-17 NBA season by parting ways with Anthony Brown. The Stanford product was thought to have been a part of the young core the team was building around, but Luke Walton and company saw more value in sticking with Thomas Robinson and veteran Metta World Peace.
Although Brown’s release came as quite a surprise, the 24-year-old admits there’s no bad blood between him and the Lakers organization. Brown has also maintained his relationships with some of his former teammates, as he told Mark Medina of the OC Register:
“No hard feelings,” said Brown, who has kept in touch with several of his teammates. “It is what it is.”
Despite having moved on to the Pelicans, Brown has taken notice of the Lakers’ solid start to the season, via Medina:
“Just from watching them, they look a lot better,” Brown said. “It’s pretty much essentially the same team. But they’re playing harder and making the right pass. I like what I see out there.”
After being waived by the Lakers, Brown was taken No. 1 overall in the NBA D-League Draft by the Erie BayHawks. Brown’s stint in the D-League was short-lived with the New Orleans Pelicans ultimately signing the 24-year-old earlier this month.
Brown’s short time with the BayHawks proved he still has NBA-caliber talent. The former second-round pick of the Lakers averaged 29.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game while shooting an impressive 55.8 percent from the floor and 65 percent from beyond the arc.
The former Laker hasn’t seen the floor much for the Pelicans since being signed by the team. Brown has played in four games so far scoring 1.5 points in 7.3 minutes per contest.