JaVale McGee agrees to sign with Lakers

The Golden State Warriors' JaVale McGee arrives with his team from Cleveland, Ohio at Landmark Aviation in Oakland, Calif. Saturday, June 9, 2018. after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. The Golden State Warriors' JaVale McGee arrives with his team from Cleveland, Ohio at Landmark Aviation in Oakland, Calif. Saturday, June 9, 2018. after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. Photo: Jessica Christian / The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Jessica Christian / The Chronicle Image 1 of / 42 Caption Close JaVale McGee agrees to sign with Lakers 1 / 42 Back to Gallery

Free-agent center JaVale McGee has reached an agreement on a contract with the Lakers, according to an ESPN report.

McGee, 30, chose the Lakers over reported interest from the Warriors, Thunder and Pelicans. McGee, who averaged 4.8 points and 2.6 rebounds per game this past season, probably couldn’t command more from Golden State than the veteran minimum. It is unclear the parameters of his deal with the Lakers, who sent shockwaves through the NBA earlier Sunday by signing LeBron James to a four-year, $154 million deal.

Much of this past season, when his playing time was sparse, McGee stayed late after Warriors practice for games of 3-on-3, worked on defending guards and forwards, and trusted that his patience would be rewarded with more minutes. After his only action in the seven-game Western Conference finals against Houston came late in a 41-point win, he stayed ready, playing a key role in Golden State's NBA Finals sweep of Cleveland.

In Game 2 of the Finals, McGee went 6-for-6 from the field on five dunks and a hook shot. Three nights later, he did more of the same in Game 3, needing only 14 minutes to chip in 10 points on 5-for-7 shooting.

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McGee, who became an unrestricted free agent Saturday night, has said that he'd love to return to Golden State. But given how the league is trending, the Warriors probably don’t need more than one or two prototypical centers. And any minutes McGee would have gotten are minutes that wouldn’t have been used developing Damian Jones, who is primed for a shot at the rotation after two seasons in the G League.

Connor Letourneau is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cletourneau@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Con_Chron