NBA Free Agency: Wayne Ellington to sign with Los Angeles Lakers
By Zack Pearson
The first day of NBA free agency is finally here as teams were allowed to negotiate with players beginning at 6 p.m. ET. And it didn’t take long for players, including former UNC Basketball sharpshooter Wayne Ellington to find a new home.
Among the flurry of moves within the first two hours or so, Ellington appears to be heading to the West Coast.
Per Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Spots, Ellington has reached an agreement on a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night, becoming the latest player to agree to a deal:
Free agent guard Wayne Ellington Jr. has reached an agreement with the Los Angeles Lakers on a one-year deal, his agent Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tells @YahooSports.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) August 2, 2021
The 33-year-old Ellington is entering his 13th season in the NBA after being a first-round pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. This will be his second stop with the Lakers franchise, playing one season for them back in 2014-15.
Last season, Ellington spent his year in Detroit playing in 46 games while shooting 42.2 percent from the three-point line. In his career, he’s a 38 percent shooter from the three-point line and can bring some much-needed depth to the Lakers lineup. We shouldn’t expect Ellington to be a starter but with the team having LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook, getting a knock down shooter on the perimeter is ideal for them.
In addition to Ellington, the Lakers also reached a deal with veteran Trevor Ariza and Dwight Howard as their strategy appears to be filling out the roster with former players? I guess?
Next. Day'Ron Sharpe named a good value pick. dark
For more on Ellington and other former UNC Basketball players in the NBA, please make sure to check back with Keeping It Heel.