Another member of the Mike D’Antoni/Byron Scott era of lovable but ultimately replaceable veterans has left the Lakers in what is by far the biggest NBA free agency news of the day.
Robert Sacre, the center whose reputation as the GOAT became an inside joke among members of #LakersTwitter, is headed to New Orleans, according to a report by ESPN’s Marc Stein:
The Pelicans are bringing former Lakers center Robert Sacre to training camp, according to league sources
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) August 11, 2016
With the Lakers shifting gears toward a full-fledged rebuilding process around young players like D’Angelo Russell and Brandon Ingram, Sacre’s days seemed numbered after he logged 3.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.4 (shoutout to Derek Fisher) blocks per game while averaging just 12.8 minutes last season.
Further complicating his future in L.A. was the fact that Sacre was buried on the depth chart at center after the Lakers drafted Ivica Zubac, signed Timofey Mozgov, and re-signed Tarik Black earlier this offseason. Because of those moves, it’s easy to see why the Lakers had no apparent interest in bringing Sacre back.
Sacre will face an uphill battle in New Orleans as well, however, as noted by Eric Pinus of basketball insiders:
The challenge for Sacre, as noted this afternoon, Pelicans at 15 guaranteed players @BBallInsiders https://t.co/VAVpIjIYPM
— Eric Pincus (@EricPincus) August 11, 2016
Sacre was drafted by the Lakers with the 60th overall pick out of Gonzaga in the 2012 NBA draft. In his four-year NBA career, he’s averaged 4.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.6 blocks, and 14.5 minutes per game.
Congrats to New Orleans on acquiring the GOAT. That Davis guy is a bust anyway.
