
The Los Angeles Lakers had a busy draft night, selecting Moe Wagner, Isaac Bonga, and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk. But their night didn’t end there.
According to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports, the Lakers have signed undrafted guard Malik Newman to a two-way contract. Newman is a 6-3 sophomore guard out of Kansas.
Sources: Undrafted Kansas guard Malik Newman has agreed to a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 22, 2018
Last year, Newman averaged 14.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. He made a difference as a shooter, hitting 41.5 percent of his 5.3 three-point attempts per game.
Newman was ranked as the 48th best prospect by DraftExpress but fell out of both rounds of the 2018 NBA Draft.
Last season, the Lakers had moderate success with their two-way contracts, finding a solid backup point guard in undrafted point guard Alex Caruso. They had less success with Vander Blue, who was cut, and Gary Payton II, who was not given much playing time.
As part of the newest CBA, each NBA team is allowed to have two two-way contract players per year. Two-way players spend their time between the parent team and its G-League affiliate and are allowed a maximum of 45 days in the NBA.
Newman’s shooting, along with his Kansas teammate Mykhailiuk, will be crucial for a Lakers team that struggled in that department last season.
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