Lonnie Walker

The Los Angeles Lakers are signing former San Antonio Spurs guard Lonnie Walker IV to a one-year deal for the $6.5 million taxpayer mid-level exception, ...

Overall, the Lakers have prioritized youth and athleticism in building the back of their roster thus far. In addition to Walker and Damian Jones, who agreed to a deal early in free agency, the Lakers are also adding former Bulls and Wizards wing Troy Brown Jr., according to Charania. Like Walker, Brown is a first-round pick who is still finding himself as an NBA player. In four seasons, Brown has hit just 33.7 percent of his looks on only two attempts per game. He may only be 6-foot-4, but he has a 6-10 wingspan and moves well across the floor. Perhaps more importantly, his 3-point volume has steadily increased to an average of 4.9 attempts per game over the past two seasons. After being used primarily off the bench in his first two seasons, Walker started 44 games over the past two years and averaged 11.7 points per game.

The signing comes hours after the San Antonio Spurs pulled the guard's qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent. The Spurs had tendered Walker a ...

Historically, the Spurs have gone this route even for players they did not intend to re-sign, giving the team more control over the situation. The Spurs had tendered Walker a qualifying offer just one day earlier, a decision that would have made him a restricted free agent and given San Antonio the option to match any offer that was fielded to him. The signing comes hours after the San Antonio Spurs pulled the guard's qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Lonnie Walker IV agreed to a one-year $6.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday after the San Antonio Spurs pulled the qualifying offer ...

Walker took on a heavier role for the Spurs after they traded Derrick White to the Boston Celtics on Feb. 10, becoming the team's sixth man and assuming a larger scoring load. During his rookie campaign, he averaged just 2.6 points per game in 17 contests. Lonnie Walker IV agreed to a one-year $6.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday after the San Antonio Spurs pulled the qualifying offer they made him, according to The Athletic and Stadium's Shams Charania.

The Lakers are signing Lonnie Walker from the Spurs, Juan Toscano-Anderson (another Klutch client), Damian Jones and Troy Brown.

It’s tough to find minimum-salary players capable of playing postseason minutes for a contender, but that’s the Lakers’ challenge after pouring so many of their resources into acquiring Russell Westbrook last year. — Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania)June 30, 2022 But the 23-year-old is far less polished than ideal for a team that should be urgently trying to win another championship before 37-year-old LeBron exits his prime. Maybe that ought to say something. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn)June 30, 2022 — Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania)June 30, 2022

Just hours ago General Manager Brian Wright told local media that the draft, in which the Spurs picked two guards, played a part in making Walker more ...

The talented but inconsistent wing was always expected to leave in free agency, but it became obvious he wasn’t on the team’s plans when the front office rescinded the qualifying offer that would have made him restricted. Watching him reach his potential elsewhere would be bittersweet, but it was clearly not going to happen in San Antonio, so parting ways simply makes a lot of sense. All that was left to figure out was what his next team was going to be, and now we have an answer.

San Antonio could be moving on from their highflying two guard as free agency approaches.

The Spurs are pulling the qualifying offer on Lonnie Walker IV, making him an unrestricted free agent, sources tell— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) @TheAthletic @Stadium. Expect a strong market for Walker immediately. This move comes less than an hour before free agency begins and makes Walker an unrestricted free agent, potentially spelling the end of the road for the 23-year-old shooting guard in the 2-1-0. The San Antonio Spurs are pulling their qualifying offer for Lonnie Walker IV, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.