Sasha Vujacic is no longer an afterthought, as he was entering last season. That's why he was the Lakers' summer priority -- and given a three-year, $15 million contract to return.

"I'm glad it's over," said Vujacic, who was a restricted free agent giving some consideration to playing in Europe. "It's been a tough month."

Vujacic was often the shooting guard on the floor for the Lakers to finish games late in the season, with Kobe Bryant moving to small forward. Vujacic was given the defensive assignment to shadow both Manu Ginobili and Ray Allen in the postseason, showing how far Vujacic's defense has improved to go with his outstanding shooting.

"He had a wonderful year this year, and I hope that he continues to develop and work, which he will," Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said.

Vujacic, 24, had to come a long way last season. Even after a good summer and training camp, he was left behind for playing time in favor of backup guards Maurice Evans and Jordan Farmar -- and sometimes even Coby Karl and Javaris Crittenton.

But Vujacic did well when he got his chances and then got his way cleared when Evans was traded with power forward Brian Cook to Orlando for small forward Trevor Ariza on Nov. 20. Vujacic came on strong and garnered some notice for his long hair and catchy nickname, "The Machine."

He averaged 8.8 points for the regular season and hit 43.7 percent of his three-point attempts. He also became fast friends with Pau Gasol when the Lakers traded for him.

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