Lakers claim Avery Bradley off waivers

The Lakers have reunited with another old friend, having claimed guard Avery Bradley off waivers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Bradley was released by the Warriors on Saturday.

Bradley was part of the Lakers’ championship team in 2019-20, averaging 8.6 PPG and 2.3 RPG on .444/.364/.833 shooting in 49 games (24.2 MPG) for the club. He signed with the Heat last offseason, then was traded to Houston at the March trade deadline. The Rockets turned down Bradley’s team option for 2021-22 and he subsequently joined the Warriors for training camp.

Bradley failed to earn the 15th spot on Golden State’s regular-season roster, but will become the latest veteran to rejoin the Lakers after spending time away from Los Angeles. Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo, Trevor Ariza, Wayne Ellington, and Kent Bazemore are among the others who fit that bill. Howard and Rondo, like Bradley, were members of the 2020 championship team.

The Lakers, who signed Jay Huff to a two-way contract earlier Monday, now have a full 17-man roster for the regular season. However, Bradley’s deal is non-guaranteed and Austin Reaves has only a small partial guarantee, so Los Angeles has the flexibility to make some changes in the coming days, weeks, or months, if necessary.