According to several sources, the Los Angeles Lakers have signed veteran swingman Matt Barnes and veteran center Theo Ratliff.
Barnes was originally going to be signed by the Toronto Raptors, but Los Angeles apparently matched the offer.
Ratliff is a 15-year veteran who last played with the San Antonio Spurs and Charlotte Bobcats.
The Lakers continue to add, as what it seems to be, veteran depth to the team as they continue to sign experienced players for this year's free agency. Barnes and Ratliff now add to this list.
Seven-year pro Barnes announced on his Twitter that he was a Laker:
"Its official I AM A LOS ANGLES LAKER. I wanna thank u for all ur patients and understanding. This is a dream come true!!! Good lookn Kobe."
Apparently, according to reports, the deal was matched by the Raptors.
Barnes' decision was based more on what team he wanted to play for and that was the Lakers.
Hence, he signed a significantly less deal, in terms of money, to play with Kobe Bryant and Los Angeles.
According to Shannon Brown's agent, signing Barnes will not change anything with the negotiations between both teams. As of now 11 players are currently under contract with the team.
Theo Ratliff, is a very experienced veteran, as the 37-year-old has played 15 years already in the league.
Ratliff played 49 games last season, averaging 3.6 points, and 3.2 rebounds per game.
But he slowly started fixing himself, averaging 5.1 points, and 4.2 rebounds towards his last 29 games of the season.
Ratliff has averaged 7.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks for his career as he has played for teams like the Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks, Portland Trail Blazers, Minnesota Timberwolves, San Antonio Spurs, and the Charlotte Bobcats in his long, 15-year career so fa...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
