Warriors sign C Turiaf

Jul 19, 2008 - 3:07 PM OAKLAND, California (Ticker)-- Center Ronny Turiaf finally is a member of the Golden State Warriors.

The Warriors announced Saturday that they had finalized a deal for Turiaf, who had been in limbo since Golden State offered him a four-year, $17 million contract on July 10.

Turiaf's former team - the Los Angeles Lakers - had seven days to match Golden State's qualifying offer, which they received on July 11. When the Lakers declined, the former Gonzaga star officially became a member of the Warriors.

With centers Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum on their roster, Los Angeles had no reason to retain Turiaf at a price that would have caused the team's luxury tax payout to skyrocket.

A 6-10 center, Turiaf averaged career highs in points (6.6), rebounds (3.9) and minutes (18.7) last season with the Lakers, who fell to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals last month.

"We're fortunate to add a player with Ronny's intangibles to our team," Golden State executive vice president of basketball operations Chris Mullin said. "He's a young, high-energy player who will provide our squad with additional frontcourt depth, rebounding and interior defense."

It is the second major offseason move for the Warriors, who signed former Los Angeles Clippers swingman Corey Maggette to a five-year contract earlier this month.

A native of Martinique, Turiaf, 25, owns career averages of 5.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 173 games over three seasons.

"He played a significant role on a team that advanced to the NBA Finals last season," Mullin added.