Lakers To Sign Forward Zach Auguste Per Eric Pincus
By John Hills
The Lakers reportedly have a deal in place with Zach Auguste out of Notre Dame
According to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders, the Lakers have come to terms on a deal with former Notre Dame stand out Zach Auguste. After 4 years at Notre Dame, Auguste went undrafted in June’s 2016 NBA Draft, but was able to sign on with LA for the 2016 Summer League.
While playing for the Lakers’ in the Las Vegas summer league, the power forward averaged 5.3 points and 4.0 rebounds over 4 games. Details of the deal have not yet been confirmed though reporter Pincus believes there is a deal in place.
I hear the Lakers have a deal with Zach Auguste, who played for the summer league squad, haven't gotten word on terms
— Eric Pincus (@EricPincus) August 21, 2016
If signed to a guaranteed contract, Auguste would be the sixteenth player on the roster for Los Angeles (assuming Yi Jianlian is signed). As the NBA roster limit is 15, the Lakers would either have to cut someone to make room for Auguste, with Nick Young being the most likely candidate.
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However, the Lakers may also sign him to a non-guaranteed contract and allow him to play for their D-League team, Los Angeles D-Fenders if he does not find a home in the final 15 roster spots.
Whether he will make the cut or not remains to be seen, but Auguste will likely have one teammate voicing their approval in the Lakers locker room as he has quickly bonded with fellow power forward Larry Nance Jr.
“Nance really just kept me levelheaded, helped me with plays. Whatever questions I have, I go to him because we’re in a similar position, and he’s already been through this,” Auguste said of Nance Jr following Summer League.
It is not too surprising that Nance Jr. and Auguste have bonded as their styles of play both center around constant activity and impressive leaping abilities. However, their similarities could also be a negative for Auguste as it might prove tough to find minutes at the power forward position behind Julius Randle, Nance Jr., and possibly Tarik Black.
https://twitter.com/Larrydn22/status/751998942091456512
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As is common with players signed towards the start of the season, Auguste will simply have to prove his worth to earn his roster spot in order to live up to the “Bash Bros” nickname they have created for each other.