Former Grizzlies and Nuggets shooting guard Jamaal Franklin has joined the D-League affiliate of the Lakers, the team announced (Twitter link). It’s the second stint with the Los Angeles D-Fenders for the 24-year-old Franklin, who played 21 games for the club last season in between his time with China’s Zhejiang Guangsha and his brief encounter with Denver. He remains eligible to join any NBA team.
The Grizzlies made Franklin the 41st overall pick in 2013, but they waived him the following summer after he appeared in only 21 NBA games his rookie season. Memphis still owes him about $163K each season through 2018/19 because the team used the stretch provision to spread out the remaining guaranteed salary on his deal. The Nuggets inked him shortly before the end of the regular season this past spring to a three-year deal that didn’t include guaranteed salary beyond 2014/15, and they took advantage of that, waiving him in mid-July, though he continued to play for Denver’s summer league squad.
The 6’5″ Franklin only started in eight of his 21 appearances with the D-Fenders last season, but he proved an all-around threat. He averaged 19.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 3.7 turnovers in 34.1 minutes per contest.