With their wing depth being destroyed by injuries, the Los Angeles Lakers were forced to add a couple of players on 10-day contracts who could help fill the void. One of those was Derrick Williams who had most recently played for the Cleveland Cavaliers last season.
A former second overall draft pick back in 2011, Williams was brought in as another veteran voice while also providing a much-needed wing option. He saw very little time on his contract, however, and now his time with the Lakers is done.
According to Bill Oram of the OC Register, Williams’ 10-day contract expired on Sunday and the Lakers have chosen not to re-sign him:
Derrick Williams 10-day contract with the Lakers expired Sunday and was not renewed.
— Bill Oram (@billoram) March 19, 2018
This move shouldn’t come as a surprise as the Lakers are starting to get healthy again, nullifying the need for Williams on the roster. Kyle Kuzma missed only one game with a sprained ankle and now looks fine moving forward while Brandon Ingram has been cleared for non-contact basketball activities and is hoping to make his return during this four-game road trip.
Those two being healthy, along with the solid play of Travis Wear, who is on his second 10-day contract, made it an obvious choice to let Williams go. He appeared in just two games for the Lakers with the majority of his minutes coming when the team faced the Golden State Warriors without both Ingram and Kuzma.
Williams’ release brings the Lakers’ roster down to 14 players along with two two-way contract players in Alex Caruso and Gary Payton II. Caruso, however, has reached his maximum number of days with the team and is not eligible to return until after the NBA G League season is over.
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