Among the many new additions to the Los Angeles Lakers roster for the 2018-19 NBA season was JaVale McGee, who signed a one-year deal with them after winning consecutive NBA championships under Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr.
A backup for the majority of his 11-year career, McGee was slated for a larger opportunity in Los Angeles. He supplanted previous starter Brook Lopez, who eventually departed for the Milwaukee Bucks in free agency and enjoyed success as a stretch-five.
McGee provided defensive stability to the Lakers at center, emerging as a key rim protector in the paint. He additionally excelled on the offensive end, finishing third among qualified NBA players with a 62.4 field goal percentage.
And now, McGee reportedly will re-sign with the Lakers on a two-year, $8.2 million deal, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN:
JaVale McGee has agreed to return to the Lakers, where he’ll likely start at center, league sources tell ESPN. It’s a two-year, $8.2 million deal, with a player option.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) July 6, 2019
Out of all the free agents the Lakers signed after LeBron James, McGee was easily the best one. While the 31-year-old dealt with pneumonia midseason, he had a strong start and finish in his first season in Los Angeles.
In 75 games which included 62 starts, McGee averaged 12.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks in just 22.3 minutes.
Once Kawhi Leonard signed with the Los Angeles Clippers, the Lakers quickly focused on Plan B which was splitting up their cap space. Highlighted by signing Danny Green to a two-year, $30 million deal, they also re-signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to a two-year, $16 million deal.
With the Lakers bringing back two players already, it would not be surprising to see them re-sign Rajon Rondo as the free agency market for point guards is extremely thin.
In addition, DeMarcus Cousins and Marcus Morris are still available with the team’s remaining cap space.