SEPTEMBER 23RD: The signing is official, the team announced.
AUGUST 4TH: Undrafted point guard Keith Appling and the Lakers have reached agreement on a non-guaranteed deal, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). The arrangement will give the former Michigan State Spartan a chance to make the team out of training camp.
The 6’1″ Appling was a mainstay for coach Tom Izzo during his four-year college career, averaging more than 30 minutes per game each season from his sophomore campaign forward, in spite of a lack of flashy numbers. He averaged 11.2 points, 4.5 assists and 2.1 turnovers per game this past season. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress listed him as the 76th-best draft prospect for this year, while Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranked him 80th.
The Lakers had been carrying only 12 players with a contract or an agreement to sign, so it seems like the 22-year-old Appling, a Michael Silverman client, will have a reasonable chance to make the opening-night roster. That’s especially true given the dearth of point guards on the team, which has just Jeremy Lin and oft-injured 40-year-old Steve Nash to man the position.