The Los Angeles Lakers needed to reduce their roster to 15 players on Monday, and it seemed as though Yi Jianlian cut out some slack for the Lakers. Yi asked to be released from the Lakers to continue playing for the Chinese national team and possibly acquire a bigger role.
According to ESPN's Marc Stein, Yi asked to be cut from the Lakers after talks with the team on Sunday. Yi played well in the 2016 Rio Olympics and appeared to be ready to bring his unique set of skills to the Lakers before asking to be released.
ESPN sources say Yi Jianlian, after talks with the team Sunday, has asked to be released by the Lakers and will be formally waived Monday.
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) October 24, 2016
In his short stint as a Laker, the seven-footer had difficulty in impressing his new head coach, Luke Walton and the rest of the Lakers. To explain his release, Yi claims that the role he was expecting to play in the Lakers did not come to being.
When the role Yi expected with the Lakers did not materialize after he left China, sources say he and his reps asked the team to let him go — Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) October 24, 2016
Yi struggled to find a consistent role with the Lakers having Julius Randle, Larry Nance, and Timofey Mozgov ahead of him in the rotation. According to CBS Sports' Ananth Pandian, Yi did not want to compete for minutes when he could be a star in China. During training camp and the preseason,Tarik Black earned the backup center spot instead of Yi.
Yi, along with forward Anthony Brown were the two last players to be waived by the Lakers on Monday. Veterans forwards, Metta World Peace and Thomas Robinson have made it to the Lakers' season-opening roster.
The Lakers signed Yi in August for a one-year, $8 million dollar deal. The deal featured a $6.8 million in what the league referred to as "likely" bonuses.
Yi was drafted sixth overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2007. In five NBA seasons, Yi also played for the Washington Wizards, Brooklyn Nets, and the Dallas Mavericks. He spent the previous four seasons playing for the Guangdong Southern Tigers in China.
