The Los Angeles Lakers made a smart decision when they claimed Kostas Antetokounmpo off waivers and signed him a two-way deal.
The Los Angeles Lakers have had an eventful offseason. Their first big move was acquiring Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans via trade. That cost them three players, Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart, from last year’s team.
Rajon Rondo, JaVale McGee, Alex Caruso and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope were re-signed. As a result, Los Angeles will have a number of new faces on this year’s roster.
A lot of attention was paid to their free agency spending, as they acquired Danny Green and DeMarcus Cousins, among others. However, it is the end of the bench signings that they have proved most successful in.
In recent years the Lakers have used their two-way deals well. Caruso was a two-way player, as was Johnathan Williams. Zach Norvell Jr. went undrafted and was given a two-way deal, and now the second two-way contract has been signed.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the Lakers and Kostas Antetokounmpo have agreed to a two-way deal. Kostas is the younger brother of MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and was waived by the Dallas Mavericks following Summer League play.
Kostas Antetokounmpo — the younger brother of NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo — heads to the Lakers on a two-way deal. https://t.co/zpdgRZaedj
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 21, 2019
This is a smart signing for a few reasons. For starters, Kostas is only 21 years old so he has plenty fo room for development. At 6’10” and 200 pounds, he has the size to fill a number of roles and be versatile in today’s positionless NBA.
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He should receive plenty of opportunities in the G League with the South Bay Lakers to continue his development. Last season with the Texas Legends, he played pretty well, averaging 10.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.
He has shown an improved stroke from his time at Dayton as well, improving his 3-point percentage and free throw percentage in the G League over his time collegiately.
The biggest reason this was a smart move as it will help build a relationship with the Antetokounmpo family. You know teams are already looking ahead to when Giannis potentially becomes a free agent in 2021. It is never too early o begin your planning for that potential event.
We have already seen the Lakers use their relationship building to their advantage. When they signed Caldwell-Pope two years ago, it was a legal way to interact with Rich Paul, who was not only Caldwell-Pope’s agent but the agent for LeBron James as well.
There is no guarantee that Giannis will leave the Milwaukee Bucks, but you never know. Much as this year’s free agency was anticipated and planned for by teams years in advance, the same will be done for the Greek Freak until a return to Milwaukee becomes official.