One of the three players the Los Angeles Lakers agreed to a two-way contract with shortly after the 2023 NBA Draft was LSU and Florida forward Alex Fudge.
The 20-year-old had an uneven sophomore season in college but opted for the draft anyways, going undrafted in the two rounds. The Lakers picked him up hoping to turn him into another gem from the scouting team.
However, when the team opted to sign Dylan Windler to a two-way contract in January, they parted ways with Fudge. He appeared in four games for the Lakers and 18 games for the South Bay Lakers, averaging 7.9 points and 5.1 rebounds during his time in the G League. He wound up continuing to play for South Bay despite not being on a two-way contract.
Fudge has now found a new two-way deal with the Dallas Mavericks though, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
Free agent F Alex Fudge has agreed on a two-way deal with the Dallas Mavericks, Shayaun Saee of @OneLegacySports tells ESPN. Fudge — who had been on a two-way with Lakers — has been playing for G League South Bay.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 4, 2024
The Mavericks likely see a lot of what the Lakers saw in Fudge, which is versatility and athleticism at the forward position. Dallas is in greater need of those types of players than the Lakers, as they are built around two guards that don’t provide as much defensively. It’s unlikely that Fudge gets any significant time with the NBA club, but any depth that can provide defensive intensity is a good fit in Dallas.
Lakers’ Darvin Ham sees upside for Harry Giles III
Los Angeles went out and signed Harry Giles III to a two-way contract and waived Dylan Windler, the player they initially signed when Fudge was waived.
Head coach Darvin Ham acknowledged the Giles signing was to shore up the big man depth on the team, but believes Giles still has untapped potential.
“I think it’s the latter,” Ham said. “Obviously I he’s a really good young player and he was available, so we saw the opportunity to gain a little more insurance at that position with a couple guys out in C-Wood and Colin. But also someone that we can take a long, hard look at in terms of implementing him into the program. I feel like he still has a ton of upside, he just needed to get to the right program and we have the coaches to try to help him get better.”
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