The Los Angeles Lakers announced they have signed forward Alex Fudge. The terms of the contract were not released but it is presumably an Exhibit 10 contract.
The Lakers have signed a number of players to Exhibit 10 deals in recent weeks, including Vincent Valerio-Bodon, Jordan Goodwin, Kylor Kelley and Quincy Olivari.
They will be with the team for training camp and then will be waived, joining the South Bay Lakers of the G League for the upcoming season. Valerio-Bodon was already waived to make room on the training camp roster for Fudge.
Fudge is a familiar face as he originally signed a two-way day with the Lakers as an undrafted free agent out of Florida last summer. After eventually being waived, he finished out the year as a two-way player with the Dallas Mavericks.
In six games with the Lakers and Mavericks last season, Fudge averaged 2.5 points in 6.7 minutes.
The 21-year-old also played 33 NBA G League showcase and regular season games for the Texas Legends and South Bay Lakers in 2023-24, averaging 8.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 18.5 minutes. Fudge most recently suited up for the Dallas Mavericks’ 2024 summer league team, averaging 4.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 13.1 minutes across five games.
He was expected to be a bit of a project coming out of the draft but has good measurables and defensive instincts, so it will be interesting to see how much his offensive game has progressed going into year two.
Jeanie Buss on Lakers’ hiring of JJ Redick
Speaking for the first time this offseason, Lakers owner Jeanie Buss discussed the team’s hiring of head coach JJ Redick and why he’s the right man for the job.
“We wanted to kind of think a different way. Really, he’s got a vision. I’m not comfortable talking about the basketball stuff, but we were looking for a candidate that would bring something different. And really invest in developing young players. JJ is the right person for us. Again, I just want to work to really speak for itself. So I don’t want to hype it and say it’s gonna be a home run. We have to give him time to establish what he wants to establish. I’m really impressed with his staff. Right now, it’s not mandatory for the players to come in and practice but players are coming in and working out. The coaching staff with Nate McMillan and Scotty Brooks, there’s a lot of experience that will be there for him to make that adjustment to being a head coach. Certainly a 12-year career in the league, he’s got a lot of experience. He knows what this league is about and I think he’ll be a great leader.”
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