Lakers sign 6-foot-9 forward amid Jonathan Kuminga pursuit

Lakers sign 6-foot-9 forward amid Jonathan Kuminga pursuit originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Lakers roster has gone through quite the transformation since LeBron James revealed he wouldn’t be returning to play in Los Angeles for the 2026-27 season.

They’ve signed/traded for the likes of Walker Kessler, Collin Sexton, Quentin Grimes and others.

On Monday, they added another player to their roster for next season.

Lakers sign 6-foot-9 forward amid Jonathan Kuminga pursuit

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Monday afternoon that the Lakers signed Ziaire Williams to a short-term deal.

The contract is one year and worth $3 million. Williams heads to Los Angeles after spending two years with the Nets.

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He began his career with the Grizzlies, playing three years there after being drafted 10th overall in 2021.

He had a career-high 10.2 points with the Nets this past season. He additionally had career-bests in steals (1.4) and 3P% (34.3 3P%).

Williams will likely be towards the bottom of the Lakers’ depth chart, but it’s a low-risk move that can benefit the team down the line if they face injuries or need extra help from the bench.

Charania added to his report that the Lakers are still pursuing forward Jonathan Kuminga on the trade market, as he would potentially be one of the team’s starting forwards.

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