The Golden State Warriors acquisition of restricted free agent forward Ronny Turiaf has been finalized, Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Mullin announced today. The acquisition became official when the Los Angeles Lakers declined their right, under terms of the NBA's collective bargaining agreement, to match the Warriors' offer for the restricted free agent by the end of the day on Friday, July 18 (seven days). Golden State had originally signed Turiaf to the offer sheet on Thursday, July 10 and copies of the contract were received by the Lakers the following day.

“We're fortunate to add a player with Ronny's intangibles to our team,” said Mullin. “He's a young, high-energy player who will provide our squad with additional frontcourt depth, rebounding and interior defense. He played a significant role and a lot of crucial minutes on a team that advanced to The NBA Finals last season.”

Turiaf, 25, appeared in 78 games (21 starts) last season with the Lakers, averaging 6.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.38 blocks in 18.7 minutes per contest. In the 35 contests in which he played 20-or-more minutes last season, he averaged 10.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.14 blocks. A native of the French Caribbean island of Martinique, Turiaf ranked fifth in the NBA in blocked shots per 48 minutes played (3.56) and ranked 22nd in the league in blocked shots overall.

A three-year NBA veteran, Turiaf owns career averages of 5.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.13 blocks and 15.6 minutes in 173 regular-season games with the Lakers. The 6’10” 250-pound graduate of Gonzaga University has shot 50.4% (350-695 FG) from the field and 70.3% (244-347 FT) from the free throw line during his career.

Turiaf will wear uniform #21.