L.A. Lakers Rumors: New Forward Signed By Lakers To Add Depth
L.A. Lakers rumors have the team signing an undrafted forward to add roster depth. The Lakers gave Texas product Jonathan Holmes a partially guaranteed deal. Giving him a guaranteed salary likely means Holmes will be on the final 12-man roster for the team. A report from Lakers Nation on Saturday, August 8, states that the team already had 12 players under contract before this signing, and that there are still three additional players the team has negotiated with.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the Lakers might even be looking to acquire Mario Chalmers from the Miami Heat. This makes it very clear that coach Byron Scott could have a lot of new players to work with when camp opens. That certainly includes the recently drafted D’Angelo Russell, Anthony Brown, and Larry Nance, Jr. It could lead to an interesting NBA season for Lakers fans as all the new names finally debut. The return of former NBA MVP Kobe Bryant could also bring added momentum.
The L.A. Lakers rumors about Holmes state that he is at six-feet, nine-inches, 242 pounds, and can play both small forward and power forward. His versatility worked well in college (with Texas), and that adds even more value to him for the coming season. One noteworthy fact that emerged from his time at the NBA Draft Combine, was that he made 17-of-25 three-pointers attempted during his drills. That was the second best mark among all the invited players. It shows Holmes might be really good at spreading the floor. That could make him very valuable off the bench in Los Angeles.
The final 15-man roster for the Lakers could be pretty good if the young core can live up to predictions and expectations. It undoubtedly starts with D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson, but players like Jonathan Holmes might just surprise a few NBA fans. In his final season with Texas, Holmes averaged 10.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.0 blocks per game. That was down from 12.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in 2013-14, but still showed he could have some value.
Jonathan Holmes also looked good during the NBA Summer League, averaging 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game with the Boston Celtics. The Celtics didn’t sign him to a real contract, though, leading to these L.A. Lakers rumors about adding even more depth to a pretty deep 2015-16 NBA roster. Now he could wind up being a steal after going unselected at the 2015 NBA Draft.
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