The South Bay Lakers have announced they signed guard Devonte’ Graham, while releasing forward Tommy Rutherford to make room for him.
Graham made his debut for the team in Phoenix on Friday, scoring 19 points, grabbing five rebounds, and dishing out six assists in South Bay’s loss.
Graham, standing at 6’1″, was selected 34th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks. The former Kansas Jayhawk has played in 336 NBA games over six seasons, starting 171 of them.
The 29-year-old has averaged 11.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists, shooting 37.1% from the field and 35.4% from beyond the arc. He has played for the San Antonio Spurs, New Orleans Pelicans, and Charlotte Hornets during his career.
With the Hornets, Graham gained a reputation as a high-volume scorer. When he was on his game offensively, he became a significant threat for the team.
Throughout his career, he has scored in double figures in 180 games, with 49 games of 20+ points, eight games of 30+ points, and one 40-point performance. In the 2019-20 season, Graham ranked fifth in the league for 3-pointers made and even participated in the Mountain Dew 3-Point Contest during NBA All-Star Weekend.
Graham has not played this season yet. He last played with the Spurs but only appeared in 23 games, averaging 13.6 minutes per game. After the 2023-24 season, San Antonio traded him back to the Hornets, who waived him. He then became a free agent.
Graham was later signed to a one-year, $2.61 million contract by the Portland Trail Blazers, but was waived again after two preseason games.
Now, Graham is back in the G League, where he previously played 13 games for the Greensboro Swarm during the 2018-19 season. There, he averaged 23.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.5 steals per game in 34 minutes.
Graham had previously worked out with the Lakers before the 2018 NBA Draft. While he was not selected by L.A., the Lakers scouting department had shown interest in him. That year, the Lakers chose Moritz Wagner and Sviatoslav Mykhailuk in the draft, while Graham was picked 34th overall, 13 spots ahead of their second-round pick.
It is unclear whether Graham will stay with the South Bay Lakers long-term, or if he will get another shot in the NBA.
