AFTER talks with team officials Sunday, China’s star Yi Jianlian has asked the Los Angeles Lakers for his release, according to league sources.

    Sources told ESPN.com that with the Lakers facing roster cut-down decisions, Yi and his representatives requested that the Lakers let him go to pursue other opportunities, largely because the role he envisioned in L.A. didn’t materialize.

    The Lakers will formally waive Yi later, sources said, and will still have to release one more player to get down to the league maximum of 15. But Yi’s departure would appear to increase the odds that former All-Star forward Metta World Peace will make the opening night roster, with fellow veteran Thomas Robinson being another strong contender for a roster spot.

    After his strong play with China in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, Yi was signed by the Lakers in August to a one-year, US$8 million deal that was uniquely structured, featuring US$6.8 million in what the league deemed “likely” bonuses.

    But the defined role Yi expected when he agreed to leave the Guangdong Southern Tigers in his native China — with minutes at both power forward and center — didn’t pan out as he had hoped this month, prompting the 28-year-old to seek his release.

    (SD-Agencies)