Sun

Yue

Yue is a 6-9 player who played point guard in China. He’s an NBA forward, and may end up sticking with the Lakers in order to pick up some of the market in China.

Mitch Kupchak, GM of the Lakers, said on Sunday that no contract with Sun has been signed, and that he will remain with his current team, Beijing Aoshen, for at least one more year. Sun was picked by the Lakers in this June’s draft, but was not expected to have any fantasy impact this season.

Yue has skipped summer league for two consecutive years, opting to play overseas, which doesn’t sit well with the Lakers. L.A. wants a maximum of 13 players heading into the season, and Yue is not a significant role player anyway.

Yue skipped summer league to play in China, which appears to have sealed his fate. They’re also going to have to pay some luxury tax, and dumping Yue will save them about $1.5 million. He wasn’t set to get many minutes anyway.

The 6'9" guard played a total of 28 minutes for the Lakers last season, and there’s a chance he won’t even make the Knicks’ regular season roster.

Yue and Pruitt won a ring with the Lakers and Celtics in the last two years, but neither player had much to do with his team’s success.

Vujacic is hoping to get the full $5.8 million mid-level exception, but the Lakers haven’t offered him more than $5 million. They are up against the luxury tax, and will likely fill out their roster with inexpensive players. Free agent center DJ Mbenga could be retained cheaply, last year’s second-round draft pick Sun Yue might be signed, and Coby Karl can be extended one year for $712,000. In a move with no fantasy implications, the Lakers have decided to part ways with Ira Newble.

Yue is known as ‘the Chinese Magic Johnson’ because of his ability to create spectacular plays. He will report to training camp and compete with point guards Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmar for playing time, but can also play shooting guard.

Details were not disclosed, but it is believed to be a two-year deal. He will compete for playing time at both guard positions, but shouldn’t offer any fantasy value this season.

Sun is causing a stir in L.A. despite the fact he’ll spend the season at the end of the bench.