Shannon Brown Becomes a Free Agent

As expected, the Lakers’ guard opted-out of his contract, making him an unrestricted free agent. The LA Times reports: “[Shannon] Brown and his agent, Mark Bartelstein, said this was the best time for the 6-foot-4 guard to test the free-agent market, even though the NBA is about to impose a lockout and no one knows what the future collective bargaining agreement will be. Brown had to let the Lakers know of his decision by Thursday’s deadline. ‘We made the best decision for me and everybody around me,’ Brown said in a telephone interview. ‘It’s an interesting time to do this because of the lockout, but I think this is the best thing for me to do right now.’ Brown signed a two-year, $4.5 million deal with the Lakers in 2010, even though he was offered more money and a longer deal by several teams. He was due to make about $2.37 million next season. Brown and Bartelstein said the player wants a longer-term contract, and both said the Lakers remain in the mix. ‘I haven’t ruled out the Lakers,’ Brown said. ‘I don’t know if they will rule me out. I’m staying open.'”