Free agent center Andrew Bogut reportedly drew interest from a handful of NBA teams after being waived earlier this season by the Lakers. However, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), the former first overall pick isn’t expected to sign a new contract before the end of the 2017/18 season.
Bogut intends to put an NBA return on the back burner in order to care for his wife, who is in the midst of a high-risk pregnancy with the couple’s second child, reports Charania. After focusing on his family, Bogut will likely be ready to pursue free agent opportunities for the 2018/19 season on July 1, Charania adds.
Bogut, 33, signed with the Lakers last year, but didn’t play much for the club, averaging 9.4 MPG in 23 games during the first half of the season. He was cut by L.A. in January, and reports in the wake of his release suggested he intended to sign with a new team after the trade deadline. Instead, he’ll sit out the rest of this season.
While Bogut’s numbers for the Lakers were uninspiring, he’s not far removed from a successful four-year run with the Warriors, who won a title during his stint with the franchise. From 2012 to 2016, Bogut appeared in 236 games (230 starts) for Golden State, averaging 6.3 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 1.7 BPG in 23.7 minutes per contest.