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Lakers urged to cut ties with rookie guard, sign 6-foot-7 Summer League star originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Summer League is a great opportunity for franchises to evaluate talent that could prove useful in both the short and long term.
For the Los Angeles Lakers, there are plenty of high-upside contributors the organization should keep close tabs on.
Former Creighton forward Arthur Kaluma is one of them, as he’s off to a promising start to the exciting offseason event. The Boston, Massachusetts, native has improved his scoring in each of his first four contests in Las Vegas, finishing with 12 points against the Golden State Warriors, 16 against the San Antonio Spurs, 18 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and a remarkable 34 against the Dallas Mavericks.
Lakers Nation’s Daniel Starkand is a fan of the young pro’s game and believes the Lakers should consider signing him to a two-way deal before it’s too late.
“Lakers need to give Arthur Kaluma a two-way contract before someone else does,” Starkand wrote on X/Twitter Saturday.
Considering all of Los Angeles’ two-way roster spots are full, the 17-time NBA champions would have to cut ties with one of the contributors who possess one of the contracts. When a user asked Starkand whether the Lakers could replace Peter Suder (undrafted shooting guard out of Miami, Ohio) with Kaluma, the Lakers journalist made it clear that it's a viable possibility.
“Yes, they’ve done it in the past,” Starkand replied.
Kaluma, who shot 55.6% from three with the Los Angeles G-League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, last season (five games), has continued to find his touch from beyond the arc as a confident catch-and-shoot weapon.
The 24-year-old is shooting 38.1% from three-point land through four Las Vegas Summer League contests, and has made positive contributions as a slasher when defenders over-commit on the perimeter.
Kaluma is also an active defender who’s regular in the right spots in help-side situations and has proven he can hold his own in one-on-one situations as an on-ball defender.
While Suder is known for being a prolific shooter dating back to his senior season with the Redhawks (42.1%), his space-creating woes and defensive limitations would justify the Lakers’ potential decision to remove him from two-way consideration.
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