Despite being without a first-round pick, the 2025 NBA draft was an exciting time for the Los Angeles Lakers. General manager Rob Pelinka traded up twice from No. 55, using cash to achieve that goal before ultimately drafting Arkansas' Adou Thiero at No. 36.
The Lakers have since made some post-draft moves, and the latest, according to NBA insider Dave McMenamin, is signing North Carolina guard R.J. Davis on an Exhibit 10 deal. The deal essentially gives Davis a spot in summer training camp and little else. It is simply a chance to bring the guard into the building and evaluate if there is a potential fit there.
The Lakers signed former UNC guard RJ Davis to an Exhibit 10 deal, sources told ESPN.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) June 27, 2025
Many times, similar deals are used as filler to help with summer league and training camps, having extra options for teams dealing with injuries or wanting to protect their veteran stars. With this in mind, it is going to be a difficult road for Davis to be able to actually stick around in L.A..
Undrafted Lakers Rookie R.J. Davis Unlikely to Stick in L.A.
Watching Davis, it is clear that there is a great scoring ability and a love to attack the basket. He averaged 15.6 points on .418/.367/.861 splits in his five seasons with the Tar Heels, which included first-team All-American honors in 2023-24.
However, his talents work both for and against the undersized guard. At times, Davis will take shots when an obvious pass is presented. The young scorer hasn't met a shot he doesn't like, which did hurt the North Carolina offense at times when his decision ended up being the wrong one.
Still, it is an interesting wildcard to bring into camp, understanding where the Lakers are currently.
The team is desperate to find cheap depth as it remains one of the cheaper big-market teams. Despite adding Luka Doncic and hoping to retain LeBron James, this is a team that lacks depth and secondary scoring options. Those shortcomings were exposed in the series against the Minnesota Timberwolves and continue to be an area of needed improvement.
While Davis is unlikely to improve this issue, it is at least bringing the aggressive scorer into camp and seeing if any progress can be made. If there is impressive development in that time, you can opt to retain the undersized guard in the lower levels. Having Davis in the NBA G League makes sense if there is any belief that the guard can learn to adjust his shots.
Even if this happens, there is the remaining concern of Davis being a defensive liability. Still, it is a noteworthy signing that gives the Lakers a chance to find a surprise scoring source for South Bay.