LOS ANGELES // Antawn Jamison is joining up with Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash to chase a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Jamison is expected to sign a one-year deal with the Lakers, sources said Thursday.
The 36-year-old forward will be counted on to bolster the Lakers' woeful bench with scoring and veteran leadership while pursuing the first championship ring in a career largely spent as the best player on bad teams.
He will not have that problem with the Lakers, who will have Bryant and Nash in their backcourt flanked by two elite seven-footers - although their identities will depend on whether Los Angeles' apparent efforts to land Dwight Howard are successful.
Jamison will also be reunited with the coach Mike Brown, who was in charge of the Cavaliers when Jamison was traded to Cleveland during the 2009/10 season.
Jamison had several suitors for his services, including his hometown Charlotte Bobcats, the Brooklyn Nets and the Golden State Warriors, his employer for his first five NBA seasons.
For a player who has never advanced past the second round of the play-offs in 14 NBA seasons, the Lakers' chance to contend apparently was too enticing to Jamison. Jamison could be a huge upgrade to the Lakers' bench, which repeatedly struggled to hold leads last season when the starters sat down.
Matt Barnes was the Lakers' top-scoring reserve with just 7.8 points per game, and Los Angeles had the NBA's lowest-scoring bench with just 20.5 points per game.
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