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EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - Horace Grant is returning to the Lakers. A starting forward on Los Angeles' league championship team of 2001, Grant signed a free-agent contract Monday.
Terms were not announced.
Grant, who turned 38 this month, has not played since being released by Orlando on Dec. 11. He played five games last season, averaging 5.2 points and 1.6 rebounds. Grant is a 16-year veteran who has played in 1,110 games and has four championship rings. He signed with Orlando in July 2001 and averaged eight points and 6.3 rebounds in his first season.
He played 77 games with the Lakers in 2000-01, averaging 8.5 points and 7.1 rebounds.
MILICIC'S TEAM SUES AGENT: Darko Milicic's European team sued his agent, seeking at least $10-million for encouraging the Pistons' draft pick to pursue an NBA career. According to the lawsuit filed Friday in New York, Hemofarm Vrsac claims agent Marc Cornstein and Pinnacle Management Corp. interfered with Milicic's European contract. Hemofarm said it has Milicic signed through 2009.
NBA teams are not prevented from drafting players under contract to foreign teams, but league rules stipulate a team can pay no more than $350,000 toward buying out a contract. Under the pay scale for rookies, Milicic could earn about $11-million over three years.
CAVS-CELTICS TRADE: Cleveland agreed to trade swingman Jumaine Jones to Boston for point guard J.R. Bremer and center Bruno Sundov. Jones, a 6-8 guard/forward, averaged 9.8 points and 5.1 rebounds last season. The 6-2 Bremer, a Cleveland native, averaged 8.3 points. Sundov, a 7-2 Croatian, signed as a free agent last year but was used sparingly.
ARMSTRONG NOT YET A HORNET: Legal complications prevented the Hornets from introducing free-agent guard Darrell Armstrong, who averaged 9.4 points for the Magic last season, as their new player. Spokesman Harold Kaufman would not specify what the problems were, except that they required approval by the league.
YAO TO PLAY: Rockets center Yao Ming will play with China's national team in Hong Kong against an Australian pro team Aug. 6. Yao's status was in doubt after he cut his eyebrow last week during practice.
NETS: Free agent Lucious Harris reached a $5-million agreement to stay with the team another two seasons. Harris has not signed a contract, but his agent, Jerome Stanley, told Newark's Star-Ledger the backup guard will sign soon.
TIMBERWOLVES: Free-agent forward Mark Madsen, who averaged 3.2 points for the Lakers last season, agreed to a two-year deal. Free-agent guard Fred Hoiberg, who averaged 2.3 points with Chicago, also signed.