Clarkson returns to Lakers for 4 years, $50 mill

Timofey Mozgov has officially signed a deal with the LA Lakers, and he will now be in the historical Purple and Gold next season. Executives from all 30 teams called prospective free agents beginning at 9:01 pm.

Los Angeles will one day re-emerge as a prime free agency destination for elite players, but for now the franchise must rebuild their credibility and make moves of this type. The Lakers have started to be aggressive in the free agency market this time as they try to build a playoff team.

Failed to get a meeting with Kevin Durant.

Clarkson and the Lakers agreed upon a four-year, $50 million deal.

When Mozgov joined the Cavaliers via a trade from the Denver Nuggets in the 2014-15 season, he became a crucial part of the team.

Clarkson has scored 17.2 points per-36 minutes with a 52.0% true shooting percentage over his first two seasons, and Clarkson raised his 3-point percentage from 31.4% to a respectable 34.7% previous year. Recently, they added Timofey Mozgov to their team.

Other front-court candidates include Whiteside and Atlanta’s Al Horford.

According to multiple reports, forward Nicolas Batum and the Charlotte Hornets have agreed on a five-year deal worth $120 million.

In his career, Turner averages 10.7 points per game and shoots around 43 percent.

Factor in that Clarkson is a rare free agent who has upside and doesn’t have enough leverage to seek a max contract despite all of the new money coming into the National Basketball Association, and suddenly, he looks like one of the best second-tier players available this summer. Under the so-called Gilbert Arenas rule, the Lakers could pay Clarkson around $5.5 million through the next two seasons before paying him $22-23 million the following two years.

The Lakers extended a qualifying offer to Clarkson on Thursday, making him a restricted free agent and allowing them to match any offer made to him by another team.

Clarkson received a big opportunity with the Lakers and seemed to enjoy playing in the city amid a possible high profile celebrity relationship. There are plenty of areas for improvement: he needs to finish better, he needs to get to the foul line more, he can develop a more consistent three-point shot and his defense drew public (and justifiable) criticism from former coach Byron Scott.