When the Lakers landed veteran power forward Brandon Bass last summer, his 2-year, $6.1 million contract was seen as a steal. Bass is a proven veteran who would be able to help the Lakers immediately, and would also set a positive example for young bigs like Julius Randle, Tarik Black, and Larry Nance Jr.
Unfortunately, after just one year in the purple and gold, Bass is on his way out the door. He exercised his player option to become a free agent earlier this summer, as he was expected to do. According to Shams Charania of The Vertical, Bass has now reached an agreement with the Los Angeles Clippers on a one-year deal:
Lakers free agent Brandon Bass has reached agreement on a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, league sources tell The Vertical.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 17, 2016
Terms of the deal were not immediately available, and it will be interesting to see if Bass was able to get more than the $3.1 million he turned down with the Lakers when he opted to become a free agent. While most would assume that a player of Bass’ caliber would receive significantly more, especially with the cap increase, the free agent market has dried up considerably for big men over the last week or so.
Last season, Bass spent some time as an undersized backup center for the Lakers and performed admirably. He will certainly be missed and Lakers Nation wishes Bass the best of luck in the future.
Update: According to Brad Turner of the LA Times, Bass’ deal with the Clippers is for just $1.5 million:
Can confirm Brandon Bass has agreed to a 1-year veteran minimum deal of $1.5 million with the Clippers. Bass played for Lakers last season.
— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) July 17, 2016
Bass will reunite with Doc Rivers, who previously coached the bruising power forward when he was with the Boston Celtics. Earlier this summer Bass expressed hope that he could return to the Lakers, but with the additions of Timofey Mozgov and Ivica Zubac, as well as the re-signing of Tarik Black the Lakers’ front court rotation is a bit crowded.
