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It is not the NBA blockbuster move many Lakers fans have been hoping to see the team go through with. But there were transactions coming from L.A. on Sunday, and that has to count for something.
The Lakers announced they’d agreed to Exhibit 10 contracts with two players who’d been on their summer league teams, 6-foot-5 combo guard Javante McCoy out of Boston University and 6-foot-8 forward Fabian White Jr. from Houston. Exhibit 10 contracts allow the Lakers to keep the players through training camp without a firm commitment, and allow L.A. to keep relations with the two players on their G-League team.
McCoy, who is 24, appeared in five games for the Lakers during the Las Vegas Summer League and averaged 10.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.4 assists while playing 20.4 minutes per game. White, who is 23, appeared in three games, averaging 2.3 points and 2.7 rebounds.
Lakers Seeking a Youth Movement
The signings are part of a move by the Lakers to get younger and more athletic around their core group of Anthony Davis and LeBron James. After fielding the oldest team in the NBA last season, L.A. made a concerted effort to sign a younger group of players this offseason, highlighted by 23-year-old former Spurs wing Lonnie Walker, who got the Lakers’ mid-level exception on the first day of free agency.
The Lakers also signed big men Damian Jones (27 years old) and Thomas Bryant (25). New swingman Troy Brown Jr. is only 22.
There’s only a slim chance that McCoy or White will earn a roster spot on the team, but each should at least be considered top-tier call-ups if the Lakers’ roster is in need of depth. The team drafted 19-year-old Max Christie in the second round this season (after buying a pick off the Magic) but L.A. has been eager to find mature, highly polished young players since draft night. Both McCoy and White fit the profile.
“(McCoy) is an NBA-ready backup now,” one Western Conference executive told Heavy Sports this week. “He can get his own shot and he can do well enough in running an offense, setting things up. He makes mistakes defensively but he is a gambler, he will come up with steals. He should make an NBA roster.”
Lakers Roster Remains in Flux
Problem is, though, that no one quite knows what the Lakers roster will look like in nine weeks when training camp begins. L.A. is well prepared to go to camp with point guard Russell Westbrook still on board, but the front office is still very much trying to move him.
If the Lakers do trade Westbrook, a spot could be opened for McCoy, because the team is so light on point-guard depth.
The team is also trying to move along Talen Horton-Tucker and/or Kendrick Nunn via trade, though nothing has come up on those fronts. Ultimately, if the Lakers want to bring back a useful veteran by trade, they will need to include at least one, and possibly two, of their available future first-round draft picks.
The Lakers have been unwilling to do so. If that stance holds, players like McCoy and White have a chance at earning a roster spot.
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