The Los Angeles Lakers have signed another player.
Exactly one week shy of media day, the team signed shooting guard Wayne Ellington, who spent the 2013-14 season with the Dallas Mavericks. Ellington entered the NBA in 2009, when the Minnesota Timberwolves selected the Wynnewood, Pennsylvania native with the 28th overall draft selection.
After spending three seasons in Minnesota, Ellington started the 2012-13 season in Cleveland. During the best stretch of his young career, the 6-foot 5-inch guard averaged 10.4 points and 3.0 rebounds per game in 38 games played with the Cavs. Worth noting, Ellington averaged 25.9 minutes per game and started for nearly half of the time he spent in Ohio. Also worth noting, current Lakers' coach Byron Scott was the Cavs' coach during Ellington's time in Cleveland.
However, the Cavaliers and Memphis Grizzlies agreed on a mid-season trade that sent the University of North Carolina Tar Heel to Memphis for the remainder of the season. After playing 44 games for the Grizzlies, Ellington moved to Dallas for the 2013-14 season.
With Dallas, Ellington started one game and took part in 44 contests as a reserve. He averaged 3.2 points, 1.0 rebound and 0.4 assists in only 8.7 minutes per game with the Mavericks.
For the Lakers, the 26-year-old Ellington provides more depth in the backcourt. With Kobe Bryant’s minutes expected to come down and Steve Nash’s level of involvement in constant question, adding another guard would hardly provoke a head scratch.
With Ellington’s signing, the Lakers now have 14 players on the roster, which still provides the Lakers one available roster spot ahead of the 2014-15 season.
