Between injuries to Josh Hart and Brandon Ingram, and reaching an agreement to buyout Corey Brewer, the Los Angeles Lakers suddenly found themselves without much depth on the roster earlier this month.
In response to that, the team called up Travis Wear from their G League affiliate, South Bay Lakers, and signed him to a 10-day contract on March 2. Wear debuted with the Lakers the following night in their win against the San Antonio Spurs.
The UCLA product not only played 13 minutes in his first NBA action since spending time with the New York Knicks during the 2014-15 season, Wear also made an impact.
He scored 13 points, grabbed two rebounds, and defended well when isolated on Rudy Gay down the stretch to contribute to the comeback victory.
Still without Hart and Ingram, the Lakers reportedly will sign Wear to a second 10-day contract, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski:
Lakers will sign Travis Wear to a second 10-day contract, league source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 12, 2018
Wear has appeared in five games with the Lakers, playing a total of 42 minutes, and scoring at least five points in four contests. He’s drawn praise from head coach Luke Walton for making a seamless transition from the G League.
Some of that is due to South Bay running similar sets on offense, which Wear himself acknowledged played a factor in stepping in and immediately contributing against the Spurs. If the Lakers wish to keep Wear on the roster after his second 10-day contract expires, they will need to sign him for the remainder of the season.
Derrick Williams was recently added on a 10-day contract as well.