Lakers ink Ball to four-year deal

The struggling Los Angeles Lakers have signed second overall draft pick Lonzo Ball to a multi-million dollar, four-year contract, the team announced on Monday.

No details were released, but the deal is expected to be worth about $30 million which is the allowable amount for a No 2 overall pick under the collective bargaining agreement.

Lakers president Magic Johnson described the 19-year-old Ball as the "new face of the franchise" at a media conference last month.

The Lakers are in desperate need of offensive help as they finished with the second worst record in the Western Conference after winning just 26 games last season.

They finished 41 games back of the Golden State Warriors in the Pacific Division.

"You have to have a great leader and somebody that can make their teammates better and somebody that has incredible basketball IQ," Johnson said. "He is somebody that can get his teammates to follow."

Ball averaged 14.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 7.6 assists in college last season.

Barbosa option refused

The Phoenix Suns declined a team option on guard Leandro Barbosa on Monday, saving the team $3.5 million in salary-cap space.

The 34-year-old Barbosa had a $4 million contract for next season, with $500,000 guaranteed.

The Suns are skewing their roster younger and though still productive, Barbosa's entire contract would have been picked up if he was on the roster past Monday.

Barbosa averaged 6.3 points and shot 43 percent, including 35.7 percent from 3-point range, in 67 games last season during his second stint with Phoenix.

Barbosa has averaged 10.6 points in 14 NBA seasons that included stops in Toronto, Indiana and Golden State.

The Suns had targeted Blake Griffin and Paul Millsap during the free-agency period, but Griffin re-signed with the Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix pulled out of the running for Millsap, who signed with Denver.

Phoenix has a solid core of young players, including star-in-the-making guard Devin Booker, forward Dragan Bender and forward Marquese Chriss.

The Suns also used the fourth overall pick in last month's draft to take former Kansas star Josh Jackson.

Knicks sign Kornet

The New York Knicks have signed former Vanderbilt center Luke Kornet to one of the two-way contracts allowable under terms of the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement.

Teams are allowed two two-way players on their roster in addition to their 15-man roster.

The two-way player spends most of his time with the parent club's G League affiliate, but can spend up to 45 days with the NBA squad during the season.

The 7-foot-1 Kornet averaged 13.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks last season, earning All-SEC and All-SEC defensive honors.

He holds the NCAA record for 3-pointers made by a 7-footer, with 150.

Agencies