Vander Blue will get a chance to compete in Lakers training camp
Vander Blue will get a chance to make the Lakers roster this fall.
The Lakers are signing Blue to a partially guaranteed deal, according to a source who couldn’t speak publicly because the deal is not official yet.
Blue was selected most valuable player of the NBA development league last season after averaging 24.8 points, 3.0 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals a game for the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the Lakers’ affiliate. The team is now called the South Bay Lakers.
Blue was also an instrumental part of the Lakers’ summer league team. On his 25th birthday, the Lakers won the summer league championship.
The Lakers have 14 guaranteed contracts on their roster after signing point guard Tyler Ennis to a one-year deal and second-round pick Thomas Bryant to a one-year deal with a team option for a second. The NBA allows teams to have 15 players on their roster, but the Lakers intend to leave the final spot open to increase their flexibility.
That spot could go to a player who, like Blue, gets a contract that will allow him to compete for it in training camp. It would also give the Lakers the ability to make a trade in which they acquire one more player than they trade away.
Follow Tania Ganguli on Twitter @taniaganguli
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