The Los Angeles Lakers featured many young talented athletes during the 2022 NBA Las Vegas Summer League. Some of those players were undrafted, like Shareef O’Neal, son of Hall of Fame center Shaquille O’Neal, but some of the members played for the Lakers G League affiliate team, the South Bay Lakers, which helped them be a familiar face to the NBA community.
It was a time for prospects to prove to professional scouts that they are worthy enough to continue to their professional careers, and keep the dream of playing on an NBA team alive. Like O’Neal, who signed a six-figure deal with NBA G League Ignite, another Lakers Summer League product earned a chance to keep proving others wrong.
According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Lakers Summer League and former South Bay Lakers forward Paris Bass has signed a one-year contract with the Utah Jazz:
Free agent forward Paris Bass has reached an agreement on a one-year deal with the Utah Jazz, his agent Daniel Hazan of @hazansportsmgmt tells @YahooSports.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) August 7, 2022
Bass, who has spent most of his playing career overseas, has finally earned the chance to compete for a spot on an NBA roster with the Jazz. In five Las Vegas Summer League games, the 6-foot-8-inch forward averaged 5.6 points in 13.5 minutes of play. While his summer stats are not eye-popping, the Lakers had a deeply talented roster that highlighted multiple prospects rather than just one individual.
Last season for the South Bay Lakers, Bass averaged 17.3 points and 7.0 rebounds on 34 percent shooting from three. His impressive G League performance helped him sign two 10-day contracts with the Phoenix Suns last season but ultimately found himself an NBA free agent until now.
The market for lengthy athletic scoring wings can be thin, and Bass has taken advantage of every opportunity to climb the ladder of the NBA process. The 26-year-old now joins a Jazz team that has sent a league a message that they are rebuilding, and may even take it a step further by including All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell in three-team trade deals to offload expiring salary to a buying team like the Lakers.
Kent Bazemore signs with Kings
While the Lakers are not done assembling a winning roster for the 2022-23 NBA season, the Purple and Gold will feature many new faces compared to last season.
One more former Laker that will not be return next season is Kent Bazemore, who has signed a one-year deal with the Sacramento Kings. Bazemore, who played in 39 games for the Lakers last season, is now providing his good nature and 3-and-D specialty to a Kings team that is looking to make its first postseason run since 2006.
The 33-year-old veteran wing has made effort, energy and efficient perimeter shooting his trademark. Lakers faithful may have been disappointed in the lack of opportunity he received in the rotation last season, but Bazemore has proven to be a player who will do whatever it takes to win, and that positive energy will go well with a young up-and-coming Kings team.
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