Getty Rob Pelinka of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Los Angeles Lakers have taken their time filling out their last roster spots and don’t appear to be in a rush. While they still figure out what to do with their guaranteed roster spots, the team will be bringing in a young forward for training camp. According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the team has signed forward Cam Oliver to an Exhibit 10 contract.
Cam Oliver is signing an Exhibit 10 deal with the Lakers, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA.
The 25-year-old wing played four games with the Houston Rockets last season. He went undrafted in 2017.
Oliver was season playing in four games for the Houston Rockets last season. That’s the only NBA experience he has as he’s played mostly in the NBA G League and overseas over his career. At 25-years-old, he brings some much-needed youth to the Lakers.
In his four games with the Rockets last season, Oliver averaged 10.8 points a game with 5.3 rebounds. His best game came against the Lakers as he scored 17 points in 23 minutes. They must’ve remembered that performance. Though his resume is very short, he’s an interesting pickup for the team. He showed some ability during his stint with the Rockets. The odds of him playing in games for Los Angeles are very low and he may not even make it long as Exhibit 10 contracts are not guaranteed. He’ll have to earn his roster spot in training camp.
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Lakers Could Use Another Forward
Adding another forward makes sense for the Lakers right now. With talk of Anthony Davis playing center for much of the season, the team doesn’t really have another true power forward. LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony can both play the position but they’ve mostly thrived at small forward over their careers.
This late in free agency, there aren’t many strong power forward options. Even Oliver has mostly played small forward. While Davis could play a lot of center this season, it appears that he’ll still play his fair share of minutes at power forward due to how the roster is constructed.
Rich Paul Expects LeBron & Davis to Switch Positions
Due to Davis’ insistence over the years of not playing at center, it’s still a little hard to believe that he’s changed his mind. However, it’s seeming more likely. According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, Davis’ agent Rich Paul has been telling other agents that the big man is moving to center and LeBron is moving to power forward.
@JakeLFischer to @hmfaigen in the Halftime app: Rich Paul was telling other agents at the Chicago combine that LeBron and AD were sliding to the 4 and 5
This isn’t anything new as Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times reported this shortly after the Russell Westbrook trade. That said, now that Paul is reportedly going around telling people that will be the case, it’s seeming more likely. At 6-foot-9, LeBron certainly has the size and skill to be an elite power forward. Davis and LeBron could form one of the NBA’s best frontcourts. The Lakers did sign DeAndre Jordan and Dwight Howard this offseason so it’s hard to imagine that Davis plays all of his minutes at center but it is looking like he’ll spend a good bit of time there.
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