Report: Tyson Chandler Officially Signs With The Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers have struggled on the defensive end so far this season. With that in mind, the team is making a move to try and bolster their frontcourt. After initial reporting from Marc Stein of the New York Times and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com suggested that a buyout for Tyson Chandler was on the way. The Lakers announced on Tuesday afternoon that the veteran center had cleared waivers and signed a pro-rated veteran’s minimum deal with the Purple and Gold which will pay him $2.1 million for the remainder of the season.

In seven games this season, Chandler is averaging just 3.7 points and 5.6 rebounds in just 12.7 minutes per contest. Chandler didn’t play in Friday’s 107-98 loss to the Toronto Raptors and only scored 22 total points in Phoenix’s previous four games.

The Lakers certainly could use the help in the frontcourt because JaVale McGee is one of the few players on the roster that has been efficient on the defensive end. Los Angeles is yielding 121.1 points per game, which is 28th out of 30 teams in the NBA.

The 10-year veteran is currently averaging 15.5 points, and 7.5 rebounds for the Lakers, but his 3.3 blocks per contest are what really jumps off the page when it comes to McGee. McGee has registered at least three blocks in six out of the team’s eight games so far this season. The versatile big man has also recorded 1.0 steals per game and has accumulated at least one steal in six of the team’s eight games.

The Lakers are also allowing their opponents to connect on 48 percent of their field goal attempts from the floor and teams are shooting 38.3 percent from beyond the arc against them. Los Angeles has yielded at least 110 points in each of their eight regular season games thus far.

Chandler has put together a very successful NBA career as a rim protector. The veteran center has spent time with the Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans, and New York Knicks in addition to his last four seasons with the Suns. Chandler has blocked 1.2 shots per contest over the course of his career, but only has 0.1 blocks per game with the Suns throughout seven games this season so far.