The Los Angeles Lakers announced they have signed Mac McClung and Chaundee Brown Jr., two members of their Summer League team.
Although the terms of the deals were not released, they are presumably for Exhibition 10 deals. McClung and Brown are currently competing with the Lakers in the Las Vegas Summer League.
McClung and Brown both went undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft and have had strong showings in their four summer league outings for Los Angeles. McClung is well-known for his online highlight reels of him dunking, but has shown he is more than an athletic dynamo. McClung has displayed some ball-handling and secondary playmaking, and has held up well defensively despite being somewhat undersized.
Brown, on the other hand, has been a surprise as the Michigan forward has played with great defensive intensity and fire and even shows promise as an outside shooter. Brown has all the makings of a typical 3-and-D wing that can guard up or down a position and hit open shots when the ball is swung to him.
Although the Lakers still have three open roster spots, it is likely two of those spots go to Jared Dudley and another veteran free agent. The last roster spot could be used to promote one of the two-way players such as Austin Reaves or Joel Ayayi, though it is possible that they outright sign one of McClung or Brown to a regular contract.
However, the most likely outcome is that McClung and Brown are waived during training camp in September, paving the way for them to play on the South Bay Lakers. McClung, in particular, would be a fun addition to a South Bay team, especially after he called signing with the Lakers a dream come true.
For now, it will be fun to see McClung and Brown continue to play with the Lakers during Summer League. So far, the team is 2-1 in their outings together and look to be getting better as the games go on.
Austin Reaves reacts to game-winner
Austin Reaves has been the most impressive prospect for the Lakers during Summer League and he capped off his solid start with a game-winning putback over the Phoenix Suns. It was an exciting moment for the rookie, but he did not have many words for it other than it was cool to see.
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