Lakers sign Lonzo Ball - LA Times
As NBA free agency passed its third full day, the Lakers finally made a few transactions.
Just formalities, though.
Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, the 27th pick in the draft, and Josh Hart, the 30th pick, signed their contracts Monday afternoon. They did so amid summer league two-a-days, which began Monday in advance of Las Vegas Summer League. The Lakers’ first game of summer league will be Friday against the Clippers.
Ball, the second overall pick in last month’s dr aft, is being paid about $30 million for four years.
Also, Lakers executives met with veteran guard George Hill to discuss a short-term contract, according to people who weren’t authorized to speak publicly.
Hill spent last season with the Utah Jazz, and before that played for five years with the Indiana Pacers. He and Paul George, whom the Lakers hope to attract in free agency next year, were teammates for five seasons in Indiana and are friends.
The Lakers remain pr otective of their salary-cap space for next season, so they have been willing to give only one-year deals to players. They are looking for guards who can serve as mentors on an exceptionally young roster, but their pool is smaller than it might have been were they willing to give multi-year deals.
Hill fits the mold of a potential mentor. He is 31 years old and has a reputation as a good locker room presence. Hill sat out several games last season because of toe soreness and other injuries. He is a career 45.3% field-goal shooter and 38% three-point shooter.
Last season, his only one with the Jazz, Hill made 47.7% of his shots and 40.3% of his three-point tries. The Jazz used him almost exclusively as a point guard, but he often played off the ball. That experience will help him fit with the Lakers, who might want him to play alongside Ball, drafted by the Lakers to be their point guard of the future.
In addition to Hill, the Lakers considered former Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo, who was most recently with the Chicago Bulls. Rondo has clashed with coaches but also has earned the trust of teammates at various stops.
The Lakers also had interest in re-signing Tyler Ennis, who is 22 and was traded to the team last season, and had a phone meeting with shooting guard Dion Waiters on Sunday. Waiters was represented by Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka before Pelinka assumed his current role.
Follow Tania Ganguli on Twitter @taniaganguli
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