Former Lakers Wing Signs With Western Conference Rival Days After Being Waived

A former Los Angeles swingman has signed with a West rival.

Nov 2, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Matt Ryan (37) reacts with fans after scoring a three point basket to send the game into overtime during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Former Los Angeles Lakers forward and NBA sharpshooter Matt Ryan has found a new team for the upcoming season. A week after the New Orleans Pelicans waived Ryan, the same team, the Pelicans, re-signed the forward.

The Athletic's Shams Charania reported on the news via Twitter/X.

Pelicans are re-signing wing shooter Matt Ryan to a restructured one-year deal, sources said. https://t.co/7Gn4sUTk44

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 26, 2024

Ryan played in 12 games with the purple and gold during the 2022-23 season. He averaged 3.9 points per game, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.3 assists in 10.8 minutes, while shooting 30.6 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from three. The highlight of his season came early in the season when he hit a corner three to tie the game at the regulation buzzer against the Pelicans, giving the Lakers the win in overtime, 120-117.

Charania said that the Pelicans are bringing him back on a re-structed deal after he cleared waivers. When New Orleans had waived the sharpshooter, the Pelicans had a 15th roster spot open; however, they decided to use it back on Ryan, who was solid for them last season.

Ryan spent the 2023-24 season with the Pelicans, where he averaged 5.4 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 0.6 assists while shooting 43.4 percent from the field and 45.1 percent from three. The 26-year-old played 28 games for the Pelicans after he was claimed off waivers and subsequently signed to a two-way contract.

After the season, the Pelicans signed Ryan to a standard contract in April 2024.

The 27-year-old New York native has had his ups and downs in the NBA. He started his college career at Notre Dame before transferring to Vanderbilt, where he averaged 8.1 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. After Ryan's sophomore season at Vanderbilt, he transferred to Chattanooga, where he averaged 15.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 30.6 minutes per game in 33 games.

Ryan went undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft, and after the COVID-19 pandemic limited his prospects, he did not land a spot in the G League's bubble in 2020-21.

Ultimately, Ryan resorted to working for DoorDash and UberEats while coaching a grassroots basketball team. Ryan also worked at a cemetery in Yonkers, New York, before he got his first shot with the Cavaliers during the 2021 NBA Summer League. In Feb. 2022, he signed a two-way contract with the Boston Celtics and averaged 20.4 points in 14 games for the Maine Red Claws, the Celtics G League affiliate in the 2021-22 G League season.

Ryan and the Pelicans will look to take the next step and become among the best teams in the tough Western Conference.

More Lakers: Former Lakers Champ Slams Rob Pelinka For Breaking Up 2020 Squad