Lakers waive David Nwaba to help make salary cap room to sign Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
The Lakers waived David Nwaba on Wednesday in a procedural move that will clear some cap room to help them sign Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
If Nwaba clears waivers, they can re-sign him at the same $1.3-million salary using a veteran minimum exception.
The Lakers were about $17.2 million under the salary cap before waiving Nwaba. On Tuesday night they agreed to a one-year deal with Caldwell-Pope that will pay him $18 million. In free agency this year, the Lakers have remained committed to preserving their salary cap space for next summer by offering only one-year deals to players, missing out on some who went elsewhere for multiyear deals.
Playing for the Lakers fulfilled a lifelong dream for Nwaba, who attended University High School in Los Angeles.
Nwaba spent most of last season with the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the Lakers’ development league affiliate. The Lakers signed Nwaba to a pair of 10-day contracts in March and then signed him through the end of last season with a team option for the 2017-18 season. The Lakers exercised that option on June 28.
He impressed the Lakers with his commitment to defense, his energy and selflessness.
Follow Tania Ganguli on Twitter @taniaganguli
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