2011 NBA Free Agency: Troy Murphy Signs with the Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers added some depth to their roster, and have one more roster spot left to fill until the start of the 2011-12 NBA season on Christmas Day. After trading Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for a trade exception (a lot of cash), the Lakers brought in a free agent that can somewhat fill Odom’s role at a decent price.

The Los Angeles Lakers signed free-agent veteran power forward/center Troy Murphy to a one-year contract earlier this afternoon as first reported by Yahoo! Sports columnist Adrian Wojnarowski.

Murphy will most likely play off the bench and look to add depth in the frontcourt. Gone are Odom, Theo Ratliff and Joe Smith so the Lakers have a big man who can shoot the three-point shot. It remains to be seen what role Murphy will exactly have with the Lakers, but he is a veteran player that can shoot the ball which will make him a legitimate threat.

Murphy spent the 2010-11 NBA season with the New Jersey Nets and the Boston Celtics even though he was not much of a contributor due to injuries, and not being in shape.

With the Celtics he did make his playoff debut, but was once again was a non-factor. Murphy will get a chance with the Lakers to resurrect his NBA career and get back to his days of being an accurate shooter playing behind the likes of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.

The Lakers have also committed to Murphy for a one-year period that can come in handy closer to the trade deadline in case a better player is available on the trade market.