According to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, the Los Angeles Lakers have decided to bid Shawne Williams adieu:
The team's official Twitter account confirmed the news:
Williams was signed to a non-guaranteed one-year deal in September, per ESPN Los Angeles' Dave McMenamin, so Los Angeles had the option of waiving him ahead of the Jan. 7 deadline when his contract would've become fully guaranteed.
Four months ago, this outcome would have seemed somewhat surprising. Williams was clearly brought in because of his past success with head coach Mike D'Antoni while on the New York Knicks.
Under D'Antoni in 2010-11, Williams notched career highs in minutes (20.7), points (7.1), rebounds (3.7) and three-point shooting (40.1 percent), quickly establishing himself as a valuable stretch forward.
After flaming out with the then-New Jersey Nets in 2011-12, Williams spent all of 2012-13 outside the NBA, before syncing up with D'Antoni again in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, he was unable to duplicate previous success.
Through 32 appearances, Williams averaged 5.2 points on 37.7 percent shooting overall and 32.7 percent from deep per game. His PER upon departure also checks in at 9.4, well below the league average of 15.
Williams' skill set had also become somewhat redundant, as noted by Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding:
Ryan Kelly, who was selected 48th overall by Los Angeles in last summer's draft, is considered a stretch 4 as well. In limited action, he's proved efficient, drilling 48.1 percent of his field-goal attempts while posting a 41.1 percent clip from deep.
During his time with the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA's Developmental League, Kelly separated himself even further, averaging 25.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. His shooting percentages—41.9 ove...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
