If Yi Jianlian's second shot at the NBA is to continue, it won't be with the Lakers.
The Chinese big man has requested his release from Los Angeles ahead of Monday's deadline to set season-opening rosters, ESPN reported.
Yi, who played for four NBA teams from 2007-12, competed for minutes throughout the preseason with Metta World Peace and Thomas Robinson. There did not appear to be a spot available for all three, and Yi might just have solved that problem after managing only 10.7 minutes per game in the preseason.
The 28-year-old left the Guangdong Southern Tigers for a one-year deal with the Lakers after averaging 20.