Lakers will not pick up option on Sun Yue

The Lakers have decided not to pick up their option on guard Sun Yue, according to his agent Charles Bonsignore.

The team was intrigued by the 6-foot-9 point guard from China, but due to its already-stiff luxury tax burden, and the depth on the team's roster, both sides agreed it would be in their best interest to let Sun go and pursue other opportunities in the NBA.

``We really appreciated the opportunity the Lakers gave Sun and the way they approached the entire situation,'' Bonsignore said. ``They were all class. But because of the depth on their roster, we both knew that even if he made the team there wouldn't be a lot of opportunity to play. And the Lakers didn't want to hold him back.''

Sun appeared in just 10 games for the Lakers as a rookie, but the coaching staff was said to be intrigued with his potential. On a team that won the NBA championship, with three other point guards on the roster, there wasn't a lot of playing time to go around.

Bonsignore said he expects that Sun will find another opportunity in the NBA this year.

``He's an NBA player,'' he said.

The Lakers had until today to decide whether to invite Sun to training camp. Doing so would've guaranteed $100,000 of his $736,420 salary for next season. The rest of the salary would've become guaranteed had he made the opening-day roster.