The Los Angeles Lakers officially sign Tyson Chandler after he was bought out by the Phoenix Suns and cleared waivers. “Having observed our roster for the first 10 games of this young season, one of the areas that Earvin and I discussed with Luke that we desired to upgrade is interior defense and rebounding,” Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka.
“In Tyson Chandler we addressed that need, and so much more. We are excited that Tyson will bring championship-level experience to our Lakers team that will solidify our veteran leadership and help positively shape our young core. We are thrilled for Tyson to join us as we progress towards our ultimate goals as a team.”
With one-year, $13.5 million remaining on his original four-year, $52 million deal, Chandler was an ideal candidate to be bought out by the March 1 deadline. As players are usually bought out closer to the deadline in order to be eligible for the playoffs, Chandler reportedly gave back $2.1 million to facilitate the move. Born and raised in California, the 36-year-old will provide his hometown team with much-needed depth at the center position behind JaVale McGee.
In seven games during the 2018-19 NBA season, Chandler averaged 3.7 points and 5.6 rebounds in 12.7 minutes. Highlighted by the 2011 NBA championship with the Dallas Mavericks and 2012 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award with the New York Knicks, Chandler is averaging 8.6 points and 9.3 rebounds through 1,086 games (875 starts).
