Report: Lakers in 'advanced discussions' to sign Yi Jianlian

The Chairman is returning stateside.

The Los Angeles Lakers are in "advanced discussions" to sign Chinese power forward Yi Jianlian, ESPN's Marc Stein reports.

The team failed to reach a deal with Yi last offseason, but talks re-opened this summer following China's early exit in Rio 2016. The Lakers hope to add Yi to the roster before training camp begins in late-September.

Yi, the former sixth overall pick of the 2007 draft, played with four franchises across five seasons in the league. He made 163 career starts and profiled as a versatile stretch forward with an inconsistent jumpshot.

The Chinese national team fixture averaged 7.9 points and 4.9 rebounds in 22.2 minutes at the NBA level but shot just 40.4 percent from the field.

After leaving the NBA in 2012, the 7-foot Yi returned to the Chinese Basketball Association where he grew into one of the league's most dominant players. In his most recent season with the Guangdong Tigers, Yi averaged 27.7 points and 10.9 rebounds while shooting 57.5 percent from the field.

The 28-year-old is firmly in his prime, and is fresh off a strong showing in the Olympics where he averaged 20.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game for a winless Chinese team.

The Lakers have 13 guaranteed contracts on their books for next season, not including Yi, which leaves two spots available for further additions.