The Los Angeles Lakers have been a major source of NBA free agent rumors all season long, but most of that scuttlebutt has focused on which players they’ll sign with their gobs of cap space during the offseason.
Still, July isn’t the only time the Lakers are going to have to make additions. Various injuries to players on roster, including recently the likes of Josh Hart to Brandon Ingram, has left Los Angeles shorthanded. It in part was why the team decided to call-up Travis Wear from the G League on a 10-day contract.
Lakers head coach Luke Walton recently said that the Lakers were looking to add another player on a 10-day contract to their roster, and early Friday morning Shams Charania of Yahoo! Sports reported that former No. 2 overall pick Derrick Williams would be the player getting brought in by the Lakers for a short look:
The Lakers plan to sign forward Derrick Williams to a 10-day contract today, league sources tell Yahoo. Williams, the former No. 2 overall pick, played in China this season.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 9, 2018
Williams’ name obviously has less shine that it did when he was drafted second overall coming out of Arizona.
But the 26-year-old forward still showed flashes of potential with the Cleveland Cavaliers last season before heading to China for this current one. Williams averaged 6.2 points and 2.3 rebounds on 50.5 percent shooting over 25 games with the eventual Eastern Conference champions.
If Williams does sign Friday, he would presumably be available (albeit unlikely) to play in the Lakers’ game against the Denver Nuggets. If Williams doesn’t sign in time or the team simply decides they want to give him more time before throwing him out on the floor, Los Angeles next plays Sunday against the Cavaliers.