Lakers acquire Roy Hibbert, Lou Williams, and Brandon Bass

Though they largely struck out with the big names in free agency, the Lakers have made small steps to improve the roster this summer.

Perhaps most significantly, Los Angeles today acquired center Roy Hibbert in a trade with the Indiana Pacers for a future second round pick.

A seven-year NBA veteran and two-time All-Star (2012 and 2014), Hibbert appeared in 76 games (all starts) with the Pacers last season, averaging 10.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 25.3 minutes.

“We’re happy to add a veteran big man to the roster,” said Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak. “Roy is a proven All-Star center that will help improve our front line. In addition he is a consummate professional and we look forward to having him on the team.”

Originally selected by the Toronto Raptors with the 17th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, Hibbert was subsequently acquired by the Pacers shortly before his rookie campaign. In his seven season with Indiana, Hibbert has appeared in 533 career games (492 starts), averaging 11.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 25.9 minutes. In 2014, Hibbert was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team after he finished the season ranked fourth in the NBA with 182 blocks (2.25 per game).

Another solid roster upgrade was the team's signing of reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams. Though the official terms were undisclosed, previous reports indicated the contract was $21 million over three years.

“I am pleased to welcome Lou to the Laker family,” said Kupchak. “We look forward to his contributions both on-court in bolstering our guard rotation, and also for the veteran leadership he can provide to our young players in the locker room.”

Last season with Toronto, Williams averaged a career-high 15.5 points per game in 80 appearances off the bench, leading to his selection at year’s end as the NBA’s most valuable player in a reserve role. The 10-year veteran also led the Raptors in free throw percentage (86.1%) and made a career-high 152 three-pointers. On March 4, Williams set a Raptors record for points in a quarter with 21 in the fourth period against Cleveland.

Selected by Philadelphia with the 45th pick in the 2005 NBA Draft out of South Gwinnett High School (GA), the 28-year-old spent his first seven NBA seasons with the 76ers before signing with the Atlanta Hawks in the 2012 offseason, and was traded to the Raptors last summer. For his career, Williams holds averages of 11.9 points, 2.9 assists, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.9 steals in 22.9 minutes per game over 634 contests.

Finally, the Lakers have also signed power forward Brandon Bass to a multi-year contract. The terms of the deal were not yet released.

“I am excited to add a player of Brandon’s skill level and character to our roster,” said Kupchak. “His work ethic, toughness, and selfless play lend themselves well to our team.”

A 10-year NBA veteran, Bass spent the last four years of his career with Boston, most recently averaging 10.6 points on 50.4% shooting in addition to 4.9 rebounds in 23.5 minutes per game last season.  The 30-year-old Bass holds career averages of 9.1 points on 49.3% shooting and 4.7 rebounds in 22.6 minutes per game.



By Staff of TheDailySportsHerald.com