Los Angeles Waives Multiple Young Players As Preseason Winds Down

Scotty Pippen Jr.'s tenure with your Los Angeles Lakers may be over, but I for one doubt that his time with its NBA G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, has come to a definitive close just yet!

Per Jovan Buha of The Athletic, Los Angeles has waived all three of its Exhibit 10 training camp signings, just one day removed from its penultimate 2023 preseason outing.

Pippen, forward Vincent Valerio-Bodon, and guard Damion Baugh have all been released. That doesn't mean the Lakers are finished with them, however. Typically, Exhibit 10 signings on relatively full rosters are brought along by teams with an eye towards adding them as affiliate players on their NBAGL franchises. Should Pippen, Valerio-Bodon and Baugh all ink deals with the South Bay Lakers and stick around for 60 days or more, they'll qualify for a signing bonus worth up to $75K.

The trio played sparingly during the Lakers' first five preseason bouts. Pippen averaged 4.5 points, 3.5 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals in two games, across 15.7 minutes per contest. Valerio-Bodon and Baugh suited up for one game apiece. Valerie-Bodon notched a block and two boards in five minutes of action, while Baugh grabbed a single rebound in his 5.5-minute stint.

The Lakers now have 16 players signed to their 2023-24 club: 14 of their 15 standard roster spots have been filled, as have all three of their two-way contacts (Colin Castleton and Alex Fudge out of Florida, plus D'Moi Hodge out of Missouri).