Lakers plan to sign guard Vander Blue from Development League
Facing a severe shortage of healthy guards, the Lakers plan to sign guard Vander Blue from their Development League affiliate.
The team is not sure Blue will play Monday night at Sacramento because his flight is scheduled to land within an hour of tip-off. Blue would also be available for the Lakers’ season finale Wednesday against the Kings at Staples Center.
Blue, 22, would be the only healthy backup to the Lakers’ rookie backcourt of Jordan Clarkson and Jabari Brown. He averaged 23.3 points and 5.3 assists in 49 games with the high-scoring L.A. D-Fenders.
The Lakers’ interest in Blue made sense after they lost reserve guard Dwight Buycks because of a broken hand Sunday against Dallas. The Lakers have now lost eight guards to injury or retirement this season: Buycks, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Wayne Ellington, Nick Young, Ronnie Price, Xavier Henry and Jeremy Lin.
If Blue doesn’t play Monday, forward Ryan Kelly might be the Lakers’ third guard against Sacramento.
Blue was undrafted in 2013 after his senior season at Marquette. He played three games for the Boston Celtics last season, averaging 1.7 points.
The Lakers’ interest in Blue was initially reported by Yahoo Sports.
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