Spurs UFA Lonnie Walker IV Signs with Los Angeles Lakers: Details
San Antonio Spurs guard Lonnie Walker IV has agreed to a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, per reports from The Athletic.
The deal is reported to be a one-year, $6.5 million contract and comes just over an hour into the start of free agency. The Spurs pulled the $6.3 million qualifying offer that was tendered to Walker on Wednesday a little over 30 minutes prior to the start of the signing period, allowing the 23-year-old to test the open market as a unrestricted free agent.
This move comes after the Spurs officially announced the blockbuster trade that sent All-Star guard Dejounte Murray and center Jock Landale to the Atlanta Hawks for multiple first-round picks and Danilo Gallinari.
In 70 appearances last season, Walker averaged 12.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists. He struggled with his scoring efficiency as he shot 40.7 percent from the floor and just 31.4 percent from beyond the arc. In his fourth season in the NBA, there are still more questions than answers about his value to a winning team.
Walker trailed only Dejounte Murray and Keldon Johnson among Spurs players for total possessions last season. In terms of usage rate, his 23.2 percent mark trailed only Murray. The opportunity was there, but inconsistency proved to be a challenge.
Now, he'll get a chance to contend in the Western Conference with a Lakers team that won a title in 2020 and still has the star duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
The Lakers, despite missing the playoffs with a 33-49 record this past season, are a bounce-back team to keep an eye on and now have solid scoring depth off the bench with the addition of Walker.
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