Lakers News: LA Signs All-OVC Guard, Waives 2 Players Ahead of Final Preseason Game

Los Angeles continues to tinker with its roster.

Feb 24, 2022; Murray, Kentucky, USA; Belmont Bruins guard Luke Smith (3) steals the ball from Belmont Bruins guard Grayson Murphy (2) during second half at CFSB Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images / Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

With just a game remaining on the Los Angeles Lakers' preseason slate, team vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka continues to tinker with his roster.

To wit, the Lakers have announced on their official X account that the team has signed former three-time All-OVC First Team Belmont University point guard Grayson Murphy. Additionally, Los Angeles has cut a pair of Exhibit 10 training camp signings, journeyman NBA point guard Jordan Goodwin and well-traveled power forward/center Kylor Kelley.

Terms of the Murphy contract have yet to be divulged, but given that all 15 of L.A.'s standard roster spots are occupied, as are all three of the Lakers' two-way slots, it seems likely Murphy is on an Exhibit 10 training camp deal and eventually be waived. Los Angeles is probably eyeing him for a slot on its G League affiliate roster, the South Bay Lakers. Assuming Murphy stays with South Bay for at least 60 days as an Exhibit 10 signing (again, those are two "if's"), he could net a signing bonus worth as much as $77,500.

The 6-foot-3 guard, 25, went unselected in the 2022 NBA Draft, despite being a two-time OVC Defensive Player of the Year and an aforementioned three-time All-OVC First Teamer. He's been plying his trade internationally across the last two seasons. Murphy first suited up for German squad the Phoenix Hagen in 2022-23, and followed that up with another German club, the Dresden Titans.

Goodwin, a well-traveled 6-foot-4 vet, only played in one preseason bout for Los Angeles this month. He suited up for just six minutes in the Lakers' 107-102 preseason victory against the Milwaukee Bucks, scoring zero points on 0-of-3 shooting from the floor, but grabbing four rebounds, blocking a shot and dishing out one dime. The 25-year-old Saint Louis University alum went unselected in the 2021 NBA Draft, and has suited up for the Washington Wizards (and their NBAGL club, the Capital City Go-Go), the Phoenix Suns, and the Memphis Grizzlies in the last three years.

Kelley, a 7-footer out of Oregon State, played in the Lakers' October 4 preseason opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He scored four points on 2-of-3 shooting and passed for one assist in six minutes. Since 2020, Kelley has played for the G League affiliates of the San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics, plus pro teams in Great Britain, Germany, and Canada.

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