Oct 31, 2008 8:45 am US/Pacific
Lakers Agree To Extension With C Andrew Bynum
LOS ANGELES (AP) ―
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The Los Angeles Lakers signed Andrew Bynum to a contract extension Thursday, removing the possibility the 21-year-old center would become an unrestricted free agent next summer. (File)
Graham/NBAE/Getty Images
The
Los Angeles Lakers signed
Andrew Bynum to a contract extension Thursday, removing the possibility the 21-year-old center would become an
unrestricted free agent next summer.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"We're extremely happy to have signed Andrew to this extension, which will secure his immediate future with the franchise,"
Lakers general manager
Mitch Kupchak
said in a statement. "Andrew has shown a vast array of skills for a
player his size and if he continues to stay dedicated and work hard to
improve, he has an excellent chance to develop into one of the top
players in the NBA."
Bynum, the 10th
overall pick in the 2005 draft, will make $2.8 million this season. If
an agreement hadn't been reached by Friday, the Lakers wouldn't have
been able to negotiate with him until after the season and he would
have become an unrestricted free agent.
"This
has been a fantastic week for me so far: turning 21, winning our first
two games of the season, and now getting this new contract signed,"
Bynum said. "This gives me and my family financial security, and more
importantly, cements my future with the Lakers, which in my opinion is
the best organization in all of
professional sports. I couldn't be happier."
Bynum's agent,
David Lee, didn't immediately return a call seeking comment.
Bynum,
a 7-foot, 285-pounder, established himself as one of the NBA's
up-and-coming big men last season before having season-ending knee
surgery Jan. 13. He averaged 13.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.06
blocked shots in 35 games, 25 of them starts, before being injured.
The Lakers reached the
NBA finals without him, losing to the
Boston Celtics in six games.
Bynum
appears healthy now, making his team a solid favorite to win its first
championship since 2002. He's averaging 7.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and
1.3 blocks in his career.
Bynum became
the youngest player to be drafted in NBA history when the Lakers
selected him following his graduation from St. Joseph High School in
Metuchen, N.J.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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