The Los Angeles Lakers have spent the entire offseason frustrating their fans by doing nothing. General manager Rob Pelinka and the front office have been twiddling their thumbs while all the high-impact free agents signed elsewhere and the transfer market dried up. Now the Lakers are likely bringing back the same team that lost in the first round of the playoffs to make another run.
However, minor moves are still being made. The Lakers are trying to find value on the edges despite currently having all 15 spots on their roster filled. Still, they signed center Kylor Kelley and guard Quincy Olivari to Exhibit 10 contracts to give them a chance to get a closer look.
The Los Angeles Lakers have signed center Kylor Kelley and guard Quincy Olivari. pic.twitter.com/CcPlSwTjAV
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) 14 August 2024
An Exhibit 10 contract is a one-year minimum, non-guaranteed contract. This type of contract allows players to compete for a spot on the roster of an NBA team or G-League affiliate team. Kelley and Olivari will spend training camp and the preseason with the team to make the case for their inclusion on the big roster.
Olivari is a five-year college player who just finished his final season at Xavier, where he started all 34 games and averaged 19.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game on 42.5% shooting from the field and an impressive 40.9% from the three-point line. At 6’2″ and 195 pounds, he’s undersized and will need to continue shooting threes at that elite 40% rate to have a career in the NBA.
Kelley is a 7-foot-4 player who has spent the last few seasons in the G League, most recently with the Maine Celtics. He was the league’s block leader last season and was named to the All-Defensive Team. At 26, he doesn’t have the greatest potential, but he could potentially replace Christian Wood or Jaxson Hayes on the 15-man roster if he impresses in training camp.
