Veteran free agent and former UCLA forward Matt Barnes is headed back to Los Angeles to play with Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. The deal got done after negotiations with the Toronto Raptors fell through because of limited sign-and-trade options available to Orlando.
Yahoo Sports is reporting that Barnes agreed to a 2 year, $3.6 million dollar deal, which is considerably less than the reported deal offered by the Raptors. He is also said to have turned down a more lucrative offer from the Cavs. The chance to be back home and with an L.A. team that has won 5 of the last 6 NBA championships was probably a big factor.
Barnes averaged 8.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game last season with Orlando, and will add even more depth to an already solid Laker team. However, his greatest asset is as a lockdown defender. His addition will help counter strong, multi-faceted offenses, which is something a lot of teams have been concerning themselves with since "The Decision".
