Q:
A:
Vlade Divac rejoins Lakers
El Segundo,
20 July 2004
Vlade Divac has come full circle to rejoin the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers called an afternoon news conference Tuesday to announce the signing of Divac, who played the past six seasons for the Sacramento Kings.
Author:
AP
The 36-year-old center will fill the spot left vacant when Shaquille O'Neal was traded to Miami last week. Brian Grant, acquired along with Lamar Odom and Caron Butler in that deal, will share duties at center.
The Lakers took Divac with the 26th pick in the 1989 NBA draft and he spent seven years with Los Angeles before the Lakers traded him to Charlotte in 1996 for the draft rights to Kobe Bryant.
Divac, an unrestricted free agent, still has a home in Los Angeles. He has agreed to a two-year deal that reportedly will pay him $4.9 million for next season. Earlier, he said Sacramento did not show interest in keeping him. The Kings apparently wanted to avoid paying the luxury tax, and did not match the Lakers' offer.
The 7-foot-1 Divac averaged 9.9 points, 5.7 assists and 5.3 assists for Sacramento last season. He lost significant playing time when the Kings acquired All-Star center Brad Miller from Indiana, and Divac's scoring average was the lowest of his career.
He joined Sacramento in 1998, and the Kings made the playoffs six consecutive years with him as their center.
Divac became a target of boos from the Lakers' fans while with Sacramento, and O'Neal accused him of "flopping" to get calls from the referees.
The revamped Lakers could have a starting lineup of Divac at center, Bryant and Gary Payton at guard, Odom at small forward and - if he decides to return for another year - Karl Malone at power forward.
The Lakers took Divac with the 26th pick in the 1989 NBA draft and he spent seven years with Los Angeles before the Lakers traded him to Charlotte in 1996 for the draft rights to Kobe Bryant.
Divac, an unrestricted free agent, still has a home in Los Angeles. He has agreed to a two-year deal that reportedly will pay him $4.9 million for next season. Earlier, he said Sacramento did not show interest in keeping him. The Kings apparently wanted to avoid paying the luxury tax, and did not match the Lakers' offer.
The 7-foot-1 Divac averaged 9.9 points, 5.7 assists and 5.3 assists for Sacramento last season. He lost significant playing time when the Kings acquired All-Star center Brad Miller from Indiana, and Divac's scoring average was the lowest of his career.
He joined Sacramento in 1998, and the Kings made the playoffs six consecutive years with him as their center.
Divac became a target of boos from the Lakers' fans while with Sacramento, and O'Neal accused him of "flopping" to get calls from the referees.
The revamped Lakers could have a starting lineup of Divac at center, Bryant and Gary Payton at guard, Odom at small forward and - if he decides to return for another year - Karl Malone at power forward.
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