Former Florida Forward Alex Fudge Signing With Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Lakers are signing Florida forward Alex Fudge to an Exhibit-10 contract following the 2023 NBA Draft, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

Fudge will follow former Gators center Colin Castleton, who is signing a two-way contract with the Lakers, to the City of Angels after both concluded their collegiate careers at UF.

An Exhibit-10 contract is a one-year, minimum-salary deal with an NBA team that can be converted into a two-way contract before the beginning of the regular season. It also offers the franchise flexibility if they choose to move on from the player, as there are no cap ramifications.

Fudge, from Jacksonville, Fla., signed with the LSU Tigers in the recruiting class of 2020. 

After 29 appearances in which he averaged 3.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 13.9 minutes played per game, Fudge transferred to Florida and returned to his home state for his sophomore year, joining the Gators ahead of Todd Golden's debut season as head coach.

Fudge's time in Gainesville got off to a promising start with a 16-point outing in the season-opener against Stony Brook. A four-game stretch of double-digit points between Nov. and Dec. 2022 put Fudge in the starting lineup for the first time, and he maintained such a role for 11 games.

But after putting 13 points up against Ohio on Dec. 14, Fudge never reached double-digit scoring again. A Jan. 21, 2023 head injury suffered against Mississippi State moved Fudge from the first team to a rotational role and he maintained that position the rest of the season. 

He ended the campaign averaging 5.8 points and 4.5 rebounds in 19.4 minutes per game, shooting 39.7% from the field and 22.9% from beyond the arc.

Fudge entered the draft pool on April 13 and waived his remaining two years of collegiate eligibility, with his attention fixated on making it to the pros. He participated in the NBA G League Elite Camp from May 13-14 in front of league personnel.