The Lakers and free agent guard Shannon Brown have agreed on a two-year contract worth $4.6 million, Brown's agent, Mark Bartelstein, said Thursday morning. "Shannon could have made more money somewhere else, but I think he really wanted to play this out with the Lakers," Bartelstein said. "They've won it [all] two years in a row and the chance to win three straight [championships] doesn't come around every day." Brown is likely the last piece of the Lakers' offseason puzzle. Though the negotiations took longer than expected, he and the team had expressed a desire to work a deal. Brown strongly considered the New York Knicks and New Orleans Hornets. The Lakers also considered free agent guards such as Raja Bell. Brown had opted out of the second year of his previous deal with the Lakers, which would've paid him $2.15 million next season. He will again have a player option in the second year of this contract. "It's time to go get number 3," Brown said via text message when asked about the new deal. Brown averaged career highs in points (8.1), rebounds (2.2) and assists (1.3) last season. His acrobatic dunks and athleticism have made him one of the team's most popular players. Fans staged a grassroots campaign on the Internet to help him earn a spot in the dunk contest at the All Star Game. His production and minutes fell off a bit in the playoffs however, as he averaged 4.9 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.9 assists. Now that Brown has signed, The Lakers have 12 players under contract. They have begun negotiations with second-round draft picks Devin Ebanks and Derrick Caracter, which would bring their roster to 14, one more than the Lakers carried last year. Link http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/news/story?id=5440224 Please lock if already posted.
