Getty The Los Angeles Lakers signed former Missouri guard Sean East as an undrafted free agent.
All eyes are on the Los Angeles Lakers heading into NBA free agency, but the team has already assembled a talented group of undrafted players. Among these undrafted free agent signings is former Missouri guard Sean East II who inked an Exhibit 10 contract with the Lakers.
“Missouri’s Sean East II has agreed to an Exhibit-10 deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, I’m told,” Draft Express’ Jon Chepkevich detailed in a June 27, 2024 message on X. “The 6’2 ½” combo guard averaged 17.6 PTS, 4.0 AST, 3.5 REB on a 63.0 TS% this season. Led the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament in points + earned a G League Elite Camp nod.”
The first thing that will jump out to Lakers fans is East role as a bonafide scorer at Missouri. East averaged 17.6 points per game while shooting 45% from long range (on 2.7 attempts per contest) in 30 starts for the Tigers in 2023-24.
East joins a solid Lakers group of undrafted free agent signings including Pitt sharpshooter Blake Hinson, Xavier guard Quincy Olivari, NC State big man Mohamed Diarra and French forward Armel Traore. The Lakers Summer League roster is typically made up of the team’s recent draft picks as well as undrafted free agent signings like East.
What Is an NBA Exhibit 10 Contract?
East signed an Exhibit 10 deal with Los Angeles which may have you wondering about the details of this structure. Exhibit 10 contracts are popular NBA deals for undrafted players which often included bonuses.
“Introduced in the NBA’s 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement, Exhibit 10 contracts are one-year deals worth the minimum salary,” HoopsRumors.com’s Luke Adams detailed in a July 25, 2023 story, “Hoops Rumors Glossary: Exhibit 10 Contract.” “They don’t come with any compensation protection, but can include an optional bonus worth as little as $5K and – in 2023/24 – as much as $75K.
“Let’s say an undrafted rookie signs an Exhibit 10 contract with the Jazz that includes a $75K bonus. He attends camp with the Jazz, but is waived before the regular season begins, with Utah designating him an affiliate player in order to retain his G League rights,” Adams continued. “In that scenario, if the rookie elects to play in the G League for the Salt Lake City Stars and remains with the club for 60 days, he’d be entitled to his full $75K bonus.”
Lakers Star LeBron James Is Willing to Take a Pay Cut for LA to Sign Klay Thompson or James Harden: Insider
LeBron James is willing to take a $20 million pay cut in order for the Lakers to secure the full mid-level exception, per @wojespn:
– There’s a sense LeBron will take it year-to-year now on new contracts instead of a multi-year deal.
– Klay Thompson and Jonas Valanciunas appear…
The Lakers are aiming to pull off a surprise in NBA free agency thanks to LeBron James’ potential willingness to take less money. There is one caveat as James only appears to be willing to take a pay cut for certain players.
James opted out of his deal to become a free agent but is expected to re-sign with the Lakers. The question is what price James will agree to with Los Angeles.
According to Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes, three players who would fit this bill are Klay Thompson, James Harden and Jonas Valančiūnas. Thompson is the player generating the most buzz when it comes to the Lakers rumors. The Golden State Warriors guard is a Southern California native and son of former LA big man Mychal Thompson.