James Ennis might get to have his dream of joining the Lakers come true, after all.
Lakers general manager said on Thursday that the team was hoping to sign a 14th player to a guaranteed contract for their roster before training camp kicks off next week. On Friday, we got the latest update on a guy who may be in contention for that spot, and the name is a familiar one: James Ennis.
Ennis, who has been linked to the team throughout the offseason both by media reports and his own Twitter likes, was brought in for a workout with the team this week, according to Athletic NBA reporter and designated Lakers workout scoopmaster Jovan Buha:
Free agent James Ennis worked out for the Lakers this week, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA.
As Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka said on Thursday, the team is looking to fill its 14th roster spot by training camp next Tuesday.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) September 24, 2021
We’ve all heard of “speaking it into existence,” but Ennis may have just invented “liking it into existence.” Truly an inspirational story for our social media-fueled times.
The Lakers still have two open spots on their training camp roster (it currently has 18 of the 20 maximum players), so they could theoretically sign a guaranteed player (like Ennis) and potentially use the other spot just for a camp invite or on a player they want to evaluate for their G League team.
Ennis shot 43.3% from distance last season with the Orlando Magic, and would fit the prototypical type of 3-and-D role player the Lakers may be looking for — they have no true small forwards other than LeBron James currently — with their last roster spot prior to surveying the buyout market at midseason. He likely wouldn’t play a ton, but he could be good emergency depth, and is one of the more appealing names that has been linked to the team by the rumor mill so far.
And hey, if the Lakers sign him soon, he can join the team in Las Vegas for LeBron James’ team-bonding minicamp in Las Vegas this weekend. Make it happen, Rob.
This story may be updated with more information as it continues to develop. For more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts. You can follow Harrison on Twitter at @hmfaigen.