Anthony Ireland to Play for Lakers Summer League Team
By Josh Horton
March 8, 2014; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Loyola Marymount Lions guard Anthony Ireland (3) shoots against the Brigham Young Cougars during the second half in the quarterfinals of the West Coast Conference tournament at Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Per David Pick, a senior correspondent from Eurobasket.com, former Loyola Marymount guard Anthony Ireland will play on the Los Angeles Lakers summer league team.
Ireland told me a little before the draft that the Lakers were one to teams that was looking at him the hardest, along with the Clippers. He said he had multiple workouts with the organization, and left all of the workouts happy with the way he perform. He even said he competed well with the fifth overall pick in this year’s NBA draft, Dante Exum.
The Kings participate in the Las Vegas summer league at the Thomas & Mack Center, the home arena of the UNLV Rebels. The showcase style mini-season takes place from July 11th to July 21st, with the first five days serve for seeding purposes, and a culminating tournament will take place in the final six. A team is guaranteed no less than five games in the NBA summer league.
Out of the three WCC players that have already been added to summer league squads, Ireland possibly poses the best chance of making the roster. The Lakers have three point guards on the cap currently, including Kendall Marshall, Jordan Clarkson and Steve Nash, whose career is in decline. Outside of Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles has nobody else at shooter guard, while Xavier Henry and Kent Bazemore are candidates to be resigned.
If Ireland plays well in Las Vegas and turns some heads within the organization, there is no reason why he could not land a spot on the Lakers opening day roster with fellow WCC alumni Robert Sacre.