Under Rob Pelinka, former Golden State Warriors have found a way of landing in the Lakers’ laps.
The latest is Damian Jones, a 6-foot-11 center who signed a 10-day contract with the Lakers on Friday morning, the team announced. He’s expected shore up the big man depth that has been frustratingly thin since Anthony Davis has been out with injury.
Jones, 25, is in his fifth year out of Vanderbilt, and three of those seasons were spent with Golden State including the 2017 and 2018 championships. Most recently, Jones was with the Phoenix Suns who waived him on Wednesday after he failed to crack the rotation: For the season, he’s played in just 14 games for a total of 94 minutes. He’s scored 22 total points and committed 19 fouls.
Without Davis, the Lakers are in need of shot-blocking, which might be an area where Jones can help. Jones, who hails from Louisiana, averaged a block per game in his most productive season (2018-19) with the Warriors, which included 22 starts. Last season with the Atlanta Hawks, he averaged 5.6 points and 3.7 rebounds.
The Lakers have made a habit of bringing in supporting members of the Warriors’ dynasty: In previous seasons, they’ve signed JaVale McGee, Quinn Cook, DeMarcus Cousins and traded for Alfonzo McKinnie.
The Lakers have limited options in adding to their roster, with their hard salary cap leaving them less than $2 million to fill out roster spots, including one they created on Wednesday when they cut Cook. Much of the roster is also on the first year of new contracts or on one-year deals that restrict the team’s ability to trade players.
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