If you thought it was weird seeing former Piston Rasheed Wallace in a Boston Celtics jersey in 2009-2010, it's about to get weirder. 'Sheed is reportedly coming out of his short-lasting retirement to join the team he help beat in the 2004 NBA Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers [via CSNNE, H/T Detroit Bad Boys]:
↵↵↵Wallace hasn't played in an NBA game since Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals, alerting the C's shortly before the game that he planned to retire.
↵Although he had two years remaining on his contract, Wallace and the Celtics came to terms on a buy-out of the remaining years believed to be worth about $1 million.
↵His return to action has been rumored for weeks, fueled by a decent showing at Pro-Am tournament in North Carolina this summer.
↵It only became heightened by, according to league sources, a renewed conditioning regimen that apparently has him looking better than he has "in years."
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Wallace's age (and lack of conditioning) was pretty evident in his final season with the Celtics, but even then -- one of his worst seasons in the NBA -- he was still a useful piece to the team. Assuming this is actually happening, it will be interesting to see how he fits in with the current Phil Jackson-less and struggling Lakers, even if it will be really strange to see him in a Lakers uniform.