It never hurts to be a seven-footer.
The Los Angeles Lakers and free agent center Timofey Mozgov have agreed to a four-year pact worth $64 million according to the big fella’s rep.
Sources: Lakers in serious talks with Timofey Mozgov about four-year, $65 million deal. @WojVerticalNBA report. https://t.co/Wzwvx6wgEF
— The Vertical (@TheVertical) July 1, 2016
Mozgov made $4.9 million last seaon
— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) July 1, 2016
Mozgov helped the Cleveland Cavaliers win the 2016 NBA title with regular season averages of 6.3 points and 4.4 rebounds, but was mostly glued to the bench during the Finals.
Per the LA Times:
The Lakers think they can get some quality minutes — and perhaps play too — out of Mozgov, who displayed a handful of memorable moments in a six-year NBA career but averaged only five minutes per game in the NBA Finals for the champion Cavaliers. He turns 30 in two weeks.
In last year’s NBA Finals, he averaged 14 points and 7.5 rebounds for a decimated Cavaliers team. He was slowed by off-season knee surgery, reportedly having a cyst removed, and eventually lost his starting job to Tristan Thompson. […] Current Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw was Mozgov’s head coach for about 11/2 seasons with the Denver Nuggets, during which time Mozgov averaged 9.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocked shots.
The Lakers were intrigued by Hassan Whiteside’s shot-blocking skills for Miami but not overly enthused about offering the erratic 7-footer a large contract. Whiteside, for his part, was apparently similarly unenthused about joining the Lakers and did not schedule a meeting with them. […] The Lakers never formally contacted Atlanta’s Al Horford, keying on Mozgov for what they considered a less-expensive option down low.
Keep up with the latest signings during the July free-agency period by following our 2016 NBA Free Agent Tracker.
