NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers sign free-agent forward Matt Barnes

Lakers sign free-agent forward Matt Barnes

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Matt Barnes is going back to Los Angeles, this time to join the two-time defending NBA champion Lakers.

The Lakers announced Thursday they had signed the free-agent forward. Terms were not disclosed.

Barnes, a UCLA product who started 58 games last season for Orlando, said earlier this week on his Twitter page that he was headed to Toronto. But the deal fell through, and the Lakers moved in to grab the seven-year veteran.

The well-traveled swingman will be joining his eighth NBA team. He has averaged 7.3 points, with a career high of 10.2 for Phoenix during the 2008-09 season.