UPDATE (03/10/21):
The Lakers intend to sign center Damian Jones to a second 10-day contract on Thursday, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 10, 2021
Damian Jones has outlasted his initial 10-day contract, with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reporting that the Lakers have signed Jones to an additional 10-day contract. With the buyout and trade deadlines coming towards the end of the month, we will have to see if Jones will get a third 10-day contract after this one, if he will just be released, or if he will receive a permanent contract with the Lakers for the rest of the season.
Original story (02/26/21):
The Los Angeles Lakers have signed center Damian Jones to a 10-day contract, the team announced on Friday. The length of the deal will take the team and their new acquisition to the All-Star Break, a period of time they will be without star big man Anthony Davis as he nurses a calf and achilles injury.
Jones was drafted by the Golden State Warriors in 2016 but was never able to make a mark for those teams. The 25-year-old appeared in 14 games for the Phoenix Suns this season before being waived; in those games, he averaged 1.6 points and 1.3 rebounds.
The Lakers have struggled in this stretch without Davis, having lost four straight and five of their last six. One issue has been the lack of big man depth to take Davis’ place, putting more pressure on Marc Gasol and Montrezl Harris. Jared Dudley also received early minutes against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday. Theoretically, Jones could get some rotation minutes as Frank Vogel attempts to replicate Davis’ production through several other players.
The Lakers waived Quinn Cook earlier this week to open up a second roster spot and create additional room under the hard cap.
The Lakers play the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday. It’s not immediately clear if Jones will be able to play in the contest due to the league’s health and safety protocol.
