The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly tried to convince Chinese basketball superstar Yi Jianlian to return to the NBA after having another solid season in China.

NBA insider David Pick revealed the Lakers attempted to lure Yi back to the big league in order to improve their forward rotation. The 27-year-old power forward has not played in the league since the 2011-12 NBA season.

Yi, who was the sixth overall pick of the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2007 NBA Draft, played 30 games for the Dallas Mavericks in 2012. During his five-year stint in the league, Yi averaged 7.9 points on top of 4.9 rebounds per game.

After spending five seasons in the NBA, Yi, who also played for the then-New Jersey Nets and Washington Wizards, decided to return to China, where he dominated in the Chinese Basketball Association.

According to the Washington Post, Yi averaged 27.7 points on 57.5 percent shooting from the field to go along with 10.9 rebounds with the Guangdong Southern Tigers last season. The Tigers had the best regular-season record, but were eliminated in the CBA semifinals.

NBA veteran Will Bynum told the Washington Post in April that Yi is interested in returning to the NBA, but wants to play for a team where he can be successful in the future. Based on what he saw during his time with Yi in the CBA, Bynum believes that Chinese superstar has what it takes to excel in the NBA.

"I played against him when he was here too, when he was in Milwaukee and Jersey. He got a whole lot better," Bynum said of Lee. "He's physical now. He always could shoot the basketball. He's rolling. Yi's tough, man. He's a matchup nightmare over there."

The Lakers, who finished with the worst record in franchise history at 21-61 last season, tried to bolster their frontline this offseason. They tried to lure LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Monroe but eventually lost in the race to sign both free agents. In turn, the Lakers focused on striking a trade for Indiana Pacers starting center Roy Hibbert.

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