The Lakers have signed former Michigan State player Keith Appling. The deal is a non-guaranteed, training camp deal.
Keith Appling of Michigan State has reached agreement on a non-guaranteed camp deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, league sources tell RealGM.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 4, 2014
Appling played with the Trail Blazers summer league team, but only averaged 8.5 minutes a game and 2.5 points a night. However, with Michigan State, he was far more active, putting up 11.2 points per game and 4.5 assists with 3.0 rebounds.
The 6’1″ guard was never much of a scorer, failing to reach double digit scoring in 12 of his final 14 games, including 10 points total in the four NCAA Tournament games the Spartans played in.
The deal likely won’t lead to any type of NBA deal, but could lead to something with their D-League affiliate, the Los Angeles D-Fenders. However, the team has had a great run at low-risk, high-reward signings and are looking to continue that run.
With the team likely in search of a third point guard aside from Steve Nash, the signing of Appling signifies the team looking toward a younger player possibility as opposed to an aging veteran.
The Lakers kick off the preseason on October 6th. Training camp will likely begin in mid-to-late September.