With the Los Angeles Lakers already seemingly panic-buying in the free agency market, Ben McLemore decided to take his talents elsewhere.
After spending a brief time with the Lakers last season, the sweet-shooting McLemore will change zip codes anew after agreeing to a deal with the Portland Trail Blazers. The terms of the agreement haven't been disclosed as of posting.
Free agent guard Ben McLemore has agreed to a deal with the Portland Trail Blazers, @KlutchSports CEO Rich Paul told @hoopshype.
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) August 3, 2021
McLemore continues to search for a permanent home in the NBA since entering the league in 2013 as a highly touted prospect out of Kansas. But his career hasn't exactly panned out, even finding himself spending some time in the G League.
He enjoyed the best stretch of his career with the Houston Rockets for two and a half seasons, as his skill set was maximized under the team's micro-ball system. This caught the eye of the Lakers, who signed him in the middle of the campaign last season.
In 21 games for the Purple & Gold, the former no. 7 overall pick averaged 8.0 points on 36.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc. McLemore, however, suffered a late injury, limiting his contributions in their run in the NBA Playoffs.
McLemore will provide additional shooting for the Portland Trail Blazers, who are still in some sort of limbo with main man Damian Lillard reportedly on the move. There's also the case of Carmelo Anthony, who's rumoredly being pursued by the Lakers.
But for now, Rip City has a new guy in Ben McLemore and for sure, he won't be the team's last acquisition in the frantic free agency season.
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