Former Lakers G League Standout Signed, Waived by Eastern Conference Squad

A South Bay star has moved on.

Mar 15, 2023; Dayton, OH, USA; Fairleigh Dickinson Knights guard Joe Munden Jr. (1) goes to the basket defended by Texas Southern Tigers forward Joirdon Karl Nicholas (5) in the second half at UD Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Forward Joirdon Nicholas has been signed to an Exhibit 10 training camp contract with the Atlanta Hawks — and quickly waived, too, prior to the official start of training camp, per RealGM. This likely will set him up to sign an affiliate deal with Atlanta's G League affiliate club, the College Park Skyhawks. Should he stay rostered for at least 60 days, the 6-foot-9 forward will become eligible for a signing bonus worth up to $77,500.

A former standout with the Los Angeles Lakers' NBAGL squad, the South Bay Lakers, Nicholas is clearly seeking his fortune elsewhere. He went unselected in the 2023 NBA Draft coming out of Texas Southern University, and quickly latched on with South Bay for 2023-24. He posted averages of 8.2 points, 5.8 boards and 1.3 dimes in 39 regular season and Showcase Cup appearances, starting 16 games. He also played in 19 games for Zonkeys de Tijuana, a pro team in Mexico, last year. Nicholas averaged 10 points on 41.4 percent shooting from the floor and 64.7 percent charity stripe shooting, 6.2 rebounds and 1.8 dimes a night. All of Atlanta's 15 standard roster openings and all three of their two-way slots are filled, so waiving Nicholas with a means to make him an affiliate player always seemed the most likely option.

Nicholas was honored as an All-SWAC Teamer during his final season with the Tigers in 2022-23. He began his collegiate career at Montana, transferred to Stephen F. Austin in 2018-19, and finall arrived at Texas Southern in 2020-21 (COVID-19 disrupted the 2019-20 season, and he did not play).

As far as the Lakers' own Exhibit 10 signings go, the team has at least 7-foot Oregon State center Kylor Kelley, Xavier point guard Quincy Olivari and Saint Louis combo guard Jordan Goodwin signed to Exhibit 10 training camp deals. Missouri Tigers guard Sean East II has also been reported to be inked to an Exhibit 10 agreement. with Los Angeles. Given that all 15 of the Lakers' standard roster spots and all three of their two-way contracts are occupied, it seems likely that Kelley, Olivari, Goodwin and perhaps East will be waived and will follow Nicholas' lead, serving as affiliate players on South Bay. Among these pieces, Kelley may best suit what the Lakers need right now, as a raw big man with size. L.A.'s current back-up center options are Jaxson Hayes, Christian Wood, and two-way players Christain Koloko and Colin Castleton. They'll take what they can get.

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