Lakers News: L.A. Inks Bryce Hamilton To Training Camp Deal

L.J. Figueroa, we hardly knew ye.

Your Los Angeles Lakers continue to make moves in the second week of the NBA preseason. Per Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Los Angeles has signed free agent shooting guard Bryce Hamilton, on what Dave McMenamin of ESPN reports is a training camp deal.

To carve out roster real estate for Hamilton, the Lakers have released 6'6" wing L.J. Figueroa.

The 21-year-old Hamilton was not selected in the June draft out of UNLV. He played on Miami's Summer League club. A three-time All-Mountain West Conference Team honoree during his four seasons with the Runnin' Rebels, Hamilton holds career NCAA averages of 14.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 0.8 steals per game. The 6'4" guard posted a college slash line of .429/.331/.710.

Though he is a below-average long range shooter and is a bit small as a two-guard (then again, so are most the Lakers' shooting guards), Hamilton is apparently at his best off the dribble, which would make him an optimal theoretical fit for Los Angeles.

L.J. Figueroa, 24, spent all of 2021-22 with the Santa Cruz Warriors after going undrafted out of the University of Oregon in 2021. The 6'4" swingman was just added to the Lakers' training camp roster two days ago. Figueroa didn't get off the bench for the Lakers' 124-121 victory over Golden State last night. Provided that Figueroa was inked to an Exhibit 10 training camp contract (as opposed to an Exhibit 9), he will most likely be signed to the Lakers' El Segundo G League affiliate club, the South Bay Lakers. Assuming this happens and he plays for at least 60 days of service in the NBAGL, he will be eligible to earn a $50,000 signing bonus.

Spears anticipates that Hamilton will eventually be cut before opening night of the Lakers' 2022-23 regular season next week, so that he, too, can become an affiliate player for South Bay.

Whether or not Hamilton actually suits up for one of the Lakers' two forthcoming preseason games Wednesday and Friday remains to be seen.