The Los Angeles Lakers have stayed busy on draft night.
Long after the conclusion of the 2018 NBA Draft, the Lakers have reached agreement on a deal with Joel Berry II. Berry is a six-foot guard out of the University of North Carolina who went undrafted. The deal was reported by Yahoo Sports’ Shams Charania among others.
North Carolina’s Joel Berry II has agreed to an undrafted free-agent deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, league sources tell Yahoo.
Berry was four-year standout at UNC and part of national championship team in 2017.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 22, 2018
Berry spent four years at UNC, winning a national championship in 2017. The undersized guard averaged 17.1 points, 3.2 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game in his senior season while shooting 39.6 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from behind the arc.
Berry will find it difficult to stick in the NBA. The Lakers will likely bring him into camp and see how he competes in Summer League and beyond. With the team being featured in both the Sacramento and Las Vegas summer leagues, there will be plenty of opportunities for Berry to prove he can be a part of the squad moving forward.
The Lakers have a need for a backup point guard and while Berry is unlikely to fill that spot, a strong camp showing could see him find a place as a depth piece at the end of the bench.
Earlier Thursday, the Lakers drafted Moritz Wagner, Isaac Bonga, and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk. They also signed Kansas guard Malik Newman to a two-way contract after the sophomore went undrafted.
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