According to a report from SB Nation, the LA Lakers and Tarik Black have signed a new contract that keeps Black with the Lakers following his decision to enter free agency. The contract is good for two years and amounts $12.85 million.
According to the report, the new deal also comes with the new LA Lakers coach Luke Walton agreeing to give Black more play time in the next two seasons. It is noted that while the Lakers were under coach Byron Scott, Black was not given much opportunity to play, an error that is going to be rectified with Walton's supervision.
It is noted that Black's lack of game time was a point of contention between Scott and the rest of the organization. With Walton as the new coach and a new deal signed for Black, the player will now be serving as the backup center for the Lakers, guaranteeing he will get more time on the hardfloor each game.
The report also points out that the team could just be saying this now that Scott is no longer their coach but it is also explained that the mere fact they signed Black back so quickly, before any other team could grab his interest, was a sign that they truly valued his capabilities.
Whether or not there was any truth to Scott and Black's arguments regarding his time on the hardfloor is noted to be irrelevant now that the former is gone and the latter has signed back on. It does prove, however, that the Lakers have bigger plans for Black and this may later lead to the revelation of the Lakers' true game plan for the next season.
Black averaged only 12.7 minutes per game last season, as stated by NBC Los Angeles, but still managed to garner an average of 3.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per game, indicating he may be able to contribute more if he is given more time to play.
