With the preseason coming to an end and the regular season around the corner, the Los Angeles Lakers will begin making moves to trim their roster while also identifying players they may want to keep around in their developmental program.
The Lakers are set to face the Golden State Warriors in their preseason finale on Friday night, but before they take the court, the team is letting go of a couple of players while also bringing in someone who played on the Summer League team.
The Lakers announced that they have released guard Jordan Goodwin and center Kylor Kelly while also signing guard Grayson Murphy:
The Lakers have signed guard Grayson Murphy. Additionally, the team has waived guard Jordan Goodwin and center Kylor Kelley.
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 18, 2024
Both Kelley and Goodwin made just one appearance during the preseason for the Lakers. With all of the franchise’s contract spots filled up, they were always a longshot at best to make the team. They could be sticking around with the South Bay Lakers in the G-League, allowing the franchise to keep them close and see how they are developing.
Murphy is an interesting addition as a defensive-minded guard who was a two-time Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year and three-time All-OVC First Team selection during his five-year college career at Belmont. He led the conference in steals three times and assists twice.
Murphy spent last season playing for the Dresden Titans of the German ProA league where he averaged 13.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.6 steals. He also was on the Lakers’ Summer League roster, where he made two appearances, including one in Las Vegas, where he was pretty impressive, finishing with five points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and three steals.
He won’t be making the roster, but the Lakers likely want to keep him around in the G-League with South Bay, and this is a way for them to do that.
JJ Redick praises Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht after 35-point night
Friday night is the final preseason game for the Lakers, but the night before wound up being a showcase for first-round pick Dalton Knecht. The rookie took over late, sending the game to overtime with back-to-back 3-pointers and scoring 20 straight points across the final period and OT in the Lakers’ win.
Afterwards coach JJ Redick had high praise for Knecht, noting his mentality and fearlessness in crucial moments are excellent qualities while reiterating that the Lakers rookie is in the top 1% of shooters.
