Mihm has sound ankle and a new Lakers deal

The Lakers took back two of their former players, one from the recent past and another from the almost-as-recent past.

Chris Mihm signed a two-year, $5-million free-agent contract Thursday to stay with the Lakers, and Derek Fisher will sign a three-year contract today worth about $14 million to return to the team he left three seasons ago as a free agent.

Mihm, who turned 28 on Monday, did not play last season after undergoing reconstructive surgery on his right ankle in November. He hopes he has left behind his ankle troubles, which also included an operation last July.

“I did a workout for the Lakers [Thursday], about 45 minutes, went pretty hard, and the ankle feels great,” Mihm said. “I’m really surprised that I’m not even thinking about it out there, and I’m not having any pain out there on it. I’ve got the utmost confidence in myself and this ankle that I’m going to come out and have a great year this year.”

Mihm was averaging a career-best 10.2 points and taking 6.3 rebounds a game when he hurt his ankle toward the end of the 2005-06 season. The first year of his contract is guaranteed and the second year is a player option, which allows him to become a free agent again next summer if he wishes. Mihm made $4.2 million last season.

As their roster stands now, the Lakers will have Kwame Brown, Andrew Bynum and Mihm at center, and Ronny Turiaf will move back to power forward.

Mihm had workouts with five other teams besides the Lakers: Chicago, Phoenix, Memphis, Philadelphia and Cleveland.

“I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t a very stressful year for me,” Mihm said. “I’m really excited to be back here and putting on a Laker uniform, which I wanted to do from the beginning.”

With the addition of Fisher and Mihm, the Lakers have 14 players under contract, one shy of the league maximum.

The Lakers are also in line to pay luxury taxes, with a current payroll of about $70 million. A $1 tax is assessed for every $1 a team is over the luxury-tax threshold of $67.87 million. Only five teams paid the tax last season.

Fisher, who turns 33 next month, was released from his contract by the Utah Jazz almost three weeks ago so he could move to a city with advanced medical care for his 1-year-old daughter, Tatum, who has a rare form of eye cancer.

Fisher is expected to move into the starting lineup for the Lakers, who did not attempt to re-sign free agent Smush Parker. Fisher averaged 10.1 points and 3.3 assists for Utah last season.

mike.bresnahan@latimes.com