Rajon Rondo is now the latest players to join the Los Angeles Lakers, as he and the team have agreed to a one-year, $9 million deal on July 2. As reported by ESPN, this move is the latest notable signing by the Lakers after LeBron James announced he would be signing a four-year deal with the team. After James' decision, the Lakers came to terms with Lance Stephenson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and JaVale McGee. Will DeMarcus Cousins join them?

The Score adds that these Lakers signings mean the team has shifted to "win now" mode, and Rondo will have to compete for the starting point guard position against Lonzo Ball, who will be entering his sophomore campaign.

However, Rondo is more than surely the favorite, due to his experience and capabilities, as well as Ball's meniscus tear and trade rumors.

Rondo's 2017-18 season

The agreement with the Lakers means Rondo, after a nearly nine-year stint and an NBA title with the Boston Celtics, will now be on his fifth team in five seasons. He has spent one year each with the Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings, Chicago Bulls, and the Pelicans.

The Pelicans' 2017-18 campaign looked bleak after Demarcus Cousins suffered a season-ending injury in January, but Rondo significantly helped give the team a push. The season also gave Rondo a few significant accomplishments, including setting a franchise-record 25 assists in a December 27 win over the Brooklyn Nets — which also made him just the seventh NBA player in history to post 25 assists in a game.

In addition, Rondo averaged 10.3 points per game and 12.2 assists per game in the playoffs, helping the sixth-seeded Pelicans reach the second round of the NBA playoffs with a first-round sweep over the third-seeded Portland Trail Blazers.

Randle subsequently renounced

Rondo's signing also comes hours after the team officially renounced forward Julius Randle, who became an unrestricted free agent before quickly signing a two-year, $18 million deal with Rondo's now-former team, the New Orleans Pelicans.

Randle had what may have been the best year of his career last season with the Lakers, averaging 16.1 points and eight rebounds. But Randle, a restricted free agent, had reportedly been searching for an offer sheet, which the Lakers did not want to match considering their pursuit of big-name free agents and wishes to quickly turn the team around.

The Lakers now have $5 million in cap space, which could go up to $16 million if the team waives Luol Deng and uses the waive and stretch provision. The team also now has versatility with names like James, Rondo, and Stephenson, and even guys like Ball and Brandon Ingram can help make up for any potential defensive voids left thanks to Randle's departure.