2019 NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal so far
Avery Bradley: 2 years, $9.8 million (Los Angeles Lakers)
Once guard Avery Bradley clears waivers today, he plans to sign a two-year, $9.7M deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, his agent Bill Duffy of @BDA_Sports tells ESPN. Bradley will have a player option on the second season.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 8, 2019
After spending the first seven years of his career with the Boston Celtics, Avery Bradley has bounced around to three different teams over the last two seasons. Don’t be fooled, though: This is a good pickup for a Los Angeles Lakers squad in need of bench depth with limited cap flexibility.
At the room exception, the Lakers are adding an experienced, defensive-minded guard who can respectfully spread the floor. His stint with the Los Angeles Clippers was ugly, but he saw something of a resurgence in his 14 games with the Memphis Grizzlies to close the season, posting 16.1 points, 4.0 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game on 38.4 percent shooting from deep.
With LeBron James set to play point guard next season, the Lakers need as many complementary 3-and-D players as possible. Bradley is a proven vet with playoff experience who will only turn 29 in November, so as long as his shooting doesn’t fall off a cliff like it did the last time he played for an L.A. team, this is another quality addition to round out the rotation.
Grade: B