Lakers Have Signed Harry Giles With 2 Ways Contract….
Shams Charania of The Athletic claims that Harry Giles will be signing a two-way contract with the Lakers.
Giles, a former Sacramento Kings first-round selection, spent this season with the Brooklyn Nets.
During training camp this season, Giles—the No. 20 overall selection in the 2017 NBA draft—joined the Brooklyn Nets and averaged 3.4 points and 4.1 rebounds in five minutes per game across his team’s 16 games. increases frontcourt presence in Los Angeles.
The Lakers are thin in the frontcourt with Christian Wood sidelined by a left knee effusion and fellow two-way player Colin Castleton suffering a wrist fracture. Although Giles won’t probably produce a lot of points right now, he does give another body to the Lakers’ deep rotation, which is good at this stage of the season.
Throughout his four NBA seasons, Giles has averaged 5.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. His figures with Brooklyn are comparable to his career totals. He also shoots 51.1% from the field, making him an effective scorer.
Jaxson Hayes has been playing most of the backup big minutes, but if Hayes isn’t feeling it or gets into foul trouble, Ham may now choose to use Giles for a few of shifts. Before Giles arrived, Ham’s only recourse when Hayes wasn’t performing well was to use his famed three-guard lineups tiny. Giles’ size should hopefully discourage overuse of that choice.
Giles is a nice addition to a team beset by injuries, but it’s crucial to remember that, as a two-way player, he will not be qualified to play for the Lakers should they advance to the postseason.
Giles moved to Brooklyn this season with the hopes of experiencing a career comeback. Although that didn’t quite work out, he is still getting another opportunity to play significant minutes and contribute for the Lakers.
Ironically, Giles may sign a two-way contract because of Boston Celtics player Jayson Tatum. His advocacy for Giles led to a modification in the most recent CBA that permits players to miss an entire season without that year’s service counted against their three-year maximum service requirement for two-way eligibility.
Giles will need to clear space on the roster for the Lakers before he can officially join. Dylan Windler will be the player released from his two-way contract to make place for Giles’ arrival, according to Dan Woike of the LA Times.
More details and analysis will be added to this breaking news item.