The Lakers spent part of their day on Monday finishing up a bunch of paperwork. Shortly after announcing the Lakers signed Nick Young’s four-year deal worth $21.5 million, the Lakers announced that Ryan Kelly signed his contract.
The Lakers did not divulge the terms of Kelly’s contract. But it is a two-year deal a little shy of $3.5 million with no options, according to a league source familiar with the terms. The Lakers used their $2.7 million exception on his deal.
“When we extended a qualifying offer to Ryan in June, we fully expected him to be a part of our future,” Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said in a statement. “Ryan did everything we asked of him as a rookie and showed great promise and potential. After rehabbing an injury last summer, he will have the benefit of a full offseason regimen and training camp for the first time in his NBA career, and we anticipate further development as a result.”
Kelly had missed parts of training camp while rehabbing a surgically repaired right foot. But the 48th pick of the 2013 NBA draft quickly made an impression on the Lakers with his work ethic, shooting and floor spacing. Kelly, who averaged eight points and 3.7 rebounds in 22.2 minutes per game, started in 22 of his 59 appearances. Kelly also joined Kobe Bryant and Eddie Jones as the third Lakers rookie in the last 20 years to score at least 17 points in consecutive games.
The Lakers believe Kelly went through some growing pains with adapting to the physical nature of the NBA and on defense. But they saw improvement because of his strong fundamentals and basketball IQ, two ingredients the Lakers believe will spur his growth.
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