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Saturday, July 21, 2001
Richmond, Walker agree to join Lakers
Associated Press
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LOS ANGELES -- Shooting guard Mitch Richmond, who last
season became the 26th player in NBA history with 20,000 career
points, and forward Samaki Walker signed contracts with the Los
Angeles Lakers on Friday.
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| Walker |
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| Richmond |
Terms were not announced, and the deals are contingent upon the
players passing physical examinations early next week.
The 36-year-old Richmond, a six-time All-Star, became a free
agent last month when the Washington Wizards bought out the final
two years of his contract for $10 million.
"Mitch has been one of the best guards in the NBA over the past
13 years," Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said in a
statement. "He's not only been a great scorer and solid defender,
but also a top-notch professional in the locker room and off the
court as well.
"He should fit in perfectly with our team."
Injuries to both knees limited the 6-foot-5 Richmond to 37 games
last season, when he averaged 16.2 points -- six points under his
career average -- and lost his starting job to second-year guard
Richard Hamilton.
Richmond joined the Wizards before the 1998-99 season in a trade
that sent forward Chris Webber to the Sacramento Kings. Before
that, the Lakers had tried to acquire him from the Kings.
Richmond has scored 20,237 career points and is
fifth in league history in 3-point shots with 1,308.
The 25-year-old Walker, waived by the San Antonio Spurs last
month, signed a one-year contract with an option for a second year.
His agent, Tony Dutt, wouldn't reveal terms.
"We said all along it was less about money and more about
minutes," Dutt said. "We were just looking for a place to get
more minutes. We really hope he plays well enough for an extended
stay. With the opt-out, he can be a free agent next summer.
"I think he's a great fit there. We looked at a lot of things.
We just felt like it made sense. It just kind of all came together.
We're very happy with the decision. We could have waited and got a
better deal financially. We didn't want to hold anybody up."
Dutt said he had spoken with five or six teams about his client.
The 6-9 Walker, who began his career with the Dallas Mavericks, spent two seasons with the Spurs. He averaged 5.3 points in 61 games last season.
Since winning their second straight championship last month, the
Lakers have lost guard Tyronn Lue to the Wizards and forward Horace
Grant to the Orlando Magic as free agents.
In addition, starting guard Derek Fisher (foot) and backup
forward Mark Madsen (shoulder) have had operations, and neither is
expected to be ready for the start of next season.
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