Getty Quinn Cook, Lakers guard.
When the Lakers signed guard Quinn Cook, a member of last year’s NBA championship team, to a contract last week, the move appeared to leave the team’s roster full—NBA squads are allowed 15 players and Cook was the 15th contract on the books.
Except that the Lakers will not necessarily be held to Cook’s contract, if the team finds that it wants to keep only 14 players or sign someone else coming out of training camp. The Lakers could dump Cook’s contract and add another player to the roster without a salary-cap penalty.
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According to Keith Smith of Yahoo! Sports, Cook’s contract is not guaranteed and is only a deal that will stand up if he makes the team coming out of training camp.
Even then, Cook’s contract will remain non-guaranteed. He will be paid his usual salary, but the Lakers can end the contract any time before the end of February 2021. Cook could make the team this month but still be eligible to be cut in favor of a new player any time thereafter.
Quinn Cook’s new contract with the LA Lakers is a non-guaranteed training camp deal. It will convert to a standard non-guaranteed contract (becoming fully guaranteed on 2/27/21) if Cook makes the Lakers roster out of camp.
Quinn Cook Has a Shot at Sticking With the Lakers
The lack of a guarantee does not mean Cook’s chances for earning a spot on the team are doomed. Going into camp there was a sense that the Lakers might want to keep a spot on the roster open in case the team found another piece it wanted to secure roster depth. Cook tried to find a more permanent contract elsewhere in the league but could not get an offer.
The Lakers announce they have re-signed Quinn Cook with their 15th and final roster spot.
Signing Cook at least gives the team a familiar and well-liked player who knows the team’s system and can be a serviceable practice player. And if there is a player who fits well and becomes available on the market in the coming weeks, the team can still let go of Cook and make a move.
It should be noted that, last August, center Dwight Howard was given a similar contract by the Lakers following an ACL injury to DeMarcus Cousins, whom the Lakers had signed a month earlier. Howard showed up to camp in great shape and earned a spot on the roster—and, eventually, a significant role in the rotation.
Cook could do the same. Because he only signed on with the Lakers last weekend, though, he was not able to join the team for the first day of camp.
Quinn Cook Could Help the Lakers’ Point Guard Depth
Point guard depth could be a concern for the Lakers when the season begins. L.A. lost Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley to free agency but made a trade to bring in Dennis Schroder from Oklahoma City. LeBron James picked up the bulk of the minutes at point guard—he played 57% of his time as a point guard, according to Basketball-Reference.com—but the Lakers would like to take some of the pressure of running the offense off his shoulders.
Schroder (who wants to start) will help in that regard. But behind Schroder, the Lakers have only Alex Caruso, who is much more comfortable playing the wing than point guard.
Frank Vogel said that it’s too soon to decide upon a starting lineup, but he’s definitely going to give Dennis Schroder “strong consideration” to start. Vogel said Schroder is a great fit to play alongnside LeBron because he can be effective on and off the ball.
Cook offers an emergency option. He played 44 games last year, averaging 5.1 points and 1.1 assists, in 11.5 minutes per game. Most of his minutes came in the early part of the season when Bradley was injured—by the postseason, he was well out of the rotation and appeared in only six games, for a total of about 24 minutes.
James said earlier this month he hoped Cook would be returning.
“Quinn, he’s a pro, he’s definitely going to get a look,” James said on the Road Trippin’ podcast hosted by former teammates Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye. “Hopefully back with us. … Hopefully we may bring him back.”
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