Men's Basketball

Lakers sign former Syracuse star Johnson

Former Syracuse forward Wesley Johnson will join the Los Angeles Lakers.

Johnson and the team agreed to a one-year contract for the veteran minimum of $1 million, as first reported by The Los Angeles Times and later confirmed by ESPN Los Angeles.

Drafted fourth overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2010, Johnson has averaged 7.7 points per game in his three-year NBA career. Last season he scored eight points per game and started 21 times for the Phoenix Suns. Johnson scored in double figures in 16 of the Suns’ last 25 games.

Johnson, a 6-foot-7 sharpshooter, averaged 16.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in 2009-10 for Syracuse. He guided the Orange to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and a trip to the Sweet 16.

The Lakers waived Metta World Peace under the amnesty clause and Kobe Bryant may miss the start of the season with an Achilles injury. Johnson will look to help the Lakers bounce back after a tumultuous 2012-13 season.







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