Lakers have waived another young star just a day after signing him

The Los Angeles Lakers inked three players—guard Jordan Goodwin, wing Vincent Valerio-Bodon, and forward Alex Fudge—to Exhibit 10 contracts this week.

It’s interesting to note that Valerio-Bodon and Fudge were waived shortly after signing, despite the fact that they were both players for the Lakers in their summer league and G League teams in the past. They waived Valerio-Bodon on Thursday, and they have now done the same with Fudge.

The 6-foot-9 forward Fudge got relatively limited action during summer league play in July. Before going undrafted in 2023, he played one season at Louisiana State University and the next year at the University of Florida.

The team’s decision to waive not one, but two players so soon after giving them training camp contracts appears perplexing. However, as one writer pointed out, it allows the organization to develop these players if they choose to play for the South Bay Lakers while also providing an incentive for them to do so.

Via Silver Screen and Roll:

“This move might seem confusing; why would you sign a player and, within 24 hours, waive them?” wrote Edwin Garcia.

“Well simply put, an Exhibit-10 deal is a contract that gives the player who signs it an additional bonus if they sign with the franchise’s G League affiliate, in this case, the South Bay Lakers.

“The Lakers signing Valerio-Bodon and Fudge to these deals and immediately waiving him allows them to play for the South Bay Lakers for more money than would be possible if he had just signed to the South Bay team outright.

“This is a win-win scenario for both parties. The Lakers keep a player they have some interest in and each player gets a bit more money for staying with the South Bay Lakers.”

It appears that Los Angeles wishes to give young player development a lot of attention. It has done a good job of drafting in recent years, but it has also come under fire for trading young players for older players—and occasionally even players who don’t pan out—after just a few years, like Russell Westbrook.

Although it is doubtful that Fudge or Valerio-Bodon will become regular players in the NBA, organizations nevertheless take a risk on these individuals since you never know.