Los Angeles Lakers Add Celtics Veteran Brandon Bass, Consider Trading Nick Young

The Los Angeles Lakers have added free agent power forward Brandon Bass to their revamped roster. The terms of the deal remain unavailable as the Lakers will try to work the player’s salary into their salary cap space ahead of Thursday, when verbal deals will become official.

Bass, 30, has been one of the most durable players in the league. He will join a Lakers frontcourt that features fellow new acquisition Roy Hibbert, formerly of the Indiana Pacers, and second-year forward Julius Randle. Bass, a former Boston Celtic, is a journeyman who has had stints with the Orlando Magic, New Orleans Pelicans and Dallas Mavericks. Sporting career averages of 9 points and 5 rebounds per game, Bass found a limited role on last year’s Celtics, which tried to incorporate younger talent.

After losing out to the San Antonio Spurs in the LaMarcus Aldridge sweepstakes, the Lakers quickly turned their attention toward fielding a respectable squad for next season after missing the playoffs for the second consecutive season and enduring a franchise-worst record of 21-61. After agreeing in principle to a trade with the Pacers for Hibbert, Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak quickly added last year’s Sixth Man of the Year candidate, Lou Williams of the Toronto Raptors, on a three-year, $21 million contract.

Meanwhile, the Lakers are rumored to be ready to unload players such as Nick Young, Robert Sacre and Ryan Kelly. The team agreed to send a future second-round pick to the Pacers while absorbing Hibbert’s $15.5 million expiring contract, with the possibility that a player such as Young may be included in the deal, once it becomes official.

“As the Lakers work to clear cap space to sign free agents and absorb Hibbert's contract, Nick Young is a strong candidate to be unloaded, sources told Yahoo Sports. The Lakers are finalizing details to acquire Hibbert, and there remains a possibility Los Angeles could send a player to the Pacers in the agreement, sources said,” Marc Spears and Adrian Wojnarowski wrote in their latest report.