A busy, busy day was seemingly topped off by the Lakers with the resigning of Ryan Kelly, which was announced rather informally via Mike Bresnahan of the LA Times.
Busy day for the Lakers, who reached agreement with Ryan Kelly, Xavier Henry and Wesley Johnson. Not many roster spots left.
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) July 19, 2014
Kelly was given a qualifying offer by the Lakers, but whether or not the two sides agreed to the offer of just over $1 million for one year or a longer contract at different amount is not known. Regardless, Kelly was a bright spot found in the middle of the diminished 2013 NBA Draft.
As a rookie, Kelly split time between the D-League and the Lakers, catching on midway through the season and finishing the final 20 games by averaging 10.2 points, 5,2rebounds, 2.8 assists, and knocking down one three a game. Amidst that stretch, Kelly had five of his highest scoring games, with the 24-point, 11-rebound outing in Denver the gem of them all.
Unfortunately for Kelly, he’s apart of a team that is loaded with power forwards, which will hinder his playing time. Even more, the Lakers recent draftee Julius Randle plays the same position as Kelly, which will limit his playing time even more.
Still, locking up Kelly is good business as he still can develop into a stretch four and solid role player.