The Los Angeles Lakers didn’t take a break after they got done with what was already a busy 2018 NBA Draft night for the team, signing Malik Newman to one of their pair of two-way contracts and also adding Joel Berry II to start undrafted free agency, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. Sources: Undrafted Kansas guard Malik Newman has agreed to a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. — Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 22, 2018 North Carolina’s Joel Berry II has agreed to an undrafted free-agent deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, league sources tell Yahoo. Berry was four-year standout at UNC and part of national championship team in 2017. — Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 22, 2018 The team didn’t stop there, also signing Jeffrey Carroll of Oklahoma State to an Exhibit 10 deal, which allows the Lakers to guarantee him money while still having the freedom to convert his contract into a two-way contract before the start of the season: The Los Angeles Lakers and Jeffrey Carroll (Oklahoma State) have agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal, a league source told The Athletic. — Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) June 22, 2018 Update: Carroll confirmed that report on Twitter. Thankful for the opportunity to join the @Lakers organization! Thank you guys for the support throughout this process. It's only the beginning! #LakeShow — Jeffrey Carroll (@J30Carroll) June 22, 2018 Malik Newman appears to be pretty easily the most likely of these names to actually make an impact on the Lakers. The Kansas guard was the 58th-ranked prospect on Jonathan Givony of ESPN’s list of the top 100 2018 NBA Draft prospects, and he averaged 14.2 points five rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 46.3 percent from the field in his sophomore season with the Jayhawks. For a deeper scouting report on Newman, I reached out to Scott Chasen of 247Sports, who covered Newman locally for the Lawrence Journal-World and Topeka Capital-Journal: After transferring from Mississippi State to KU, the plan was always for Malik Newman to play one year and then go pro. He came into the season with high expectations, with some in the program believing he’d lead the team in scoring. Ultimately, he got off to a slow start, though he did hit a huge shot in the team’s second game against Kentucky. Newman broke out with a 27-point outing in conference play against Iowa State. By the time the postseason came around, he became a different player. Newman had six 20 point games in the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments. He scored 30 in the Big 12 tournament opener against Oklahoma State, went off against Seton Hall in the Round of 32 and dropped 32 against Duke in the Elite Eight. He also guarded Grayson Allen in that game and did a phenomenal job defensively. Newman can score from just about anywhere on the court. He’s a great shooter, can work in the mid-range and has a knack for getting to the rim and finishing. He didn’t draw a ton of free throws, but he developed this reputation as a guy that would get to the cup late in games when other teams would start to wear down. He isn’t a great facilitator and needs to improve his handle, but he still has time to work on those parts of his game. Defensively, Newman was inconsistent. He’s actually a pretty decent on-ball defender, but he isn’t great off-ball. He is, however, a tremendous defensive rebounder for his size. He can go up and snatch a board and then start a break, which should be a valuable tool in the NBA. All of those make Newman sound like a pretty solid get for a guy on a two-way contract, and his advanced numbers are also pretty decent: Malik Newman Top NBA comps: Cedi Osman, DeMarre Carroll, Abdel Nader, Danny Green, Kelly Oubre Jr. Offensive Role: Spot Up Wing, 44th %ile poss share CPOE: 83rd O-PIPM: 77th D-PIPM: 8th https://t.co/qg75gLgJbx — Cranjis McBasketball (@T1m_NBA) June 22, 2018 As for Berry II and Jeffrey Carroll, neither is likely to make the Lakers’ full-time roster. Carroll was the 96th overall prospect on Givony’s big board, while Berry II was not listed. Either player could potentially use a strong showing on either of the Lakers’ summer league teams to start a debate on whether or not they should play a bigger role going forward, but for now it seems safe to assume that Newman is the main get here. All stats per ESPN.com. You can follow Harrison on Twitter at @hmfaigen.<doc-sep>Bill Self knows it might not be the worst thing in the world for a player to go undrafted. "The bottom line is you'd rather get in the right situation than you would go for the number," said the KU coach following the 2018 NBA Draft. "I think [from a] pride standpoint, everybody wants to hear their name called, and who wouldn't? But for actually making the team, it's more important to have the right fit." That comment came in reference to two former KU players who went undrafted in the event. Billy Preston, who left college before appearing in a game for the Jayhawks, and Malik Newman, consistently projected as a second rounder, both were left on the board following the conclusion of the draft. Newman was quickly snatched up by the Los Angeles Lakers, reportedly signing a two-way deal to join fellow former Jayhawk Svi Mykhailiuk, who the Lakers took with the No. 47-overall pick. Still, Self was left disappointed for Newman, who he thought had worked his way into the draft with his dominant postseason performance. "I'm really disappointed for Malik. I'm disappointed. This isn't what we expected," Self noted. "I don't think it's awful. I don't think it's awful. I think it's probably very disappointing for those two, particularly Malik, to know how strong he finished the season and the value he was to us at Kansas." Sure enough, Newman scored 20 points in six of the team's eight postseason games, earning the nickname "Postseason Malik." He scored 32 points in KU's Elite Eight win over Duke and played strong defense on Duke's Grayson Allen, who scored only 12 points on 13 field-goal attempts in the contest. Allen, by the way, was selected by the Utah Jazz in the first round. However, perhaps sensing the unpredictability of the draft, Self spoke with Newman's father to discuss the very scenario that ended up happening. "There are some disadvantages of sometimes going late in the draft. Of course, it wasn't a disadvantage for [Manu] Ginobili. I think he went 59 if I'm not mistaken, but there are some times where that occurs where you'd be better off being a free agent and pick[ing]," Self said. "But the fit is much more important than the number, without question. We talked about that with his dad today." As for the other former Jayhawk, Self noted in the days leading up to the draft it was hard to get a sense of Preston's stock. Preston, a five-star recruit out of high school, sat out pending an investigation into his eligibility — centering around gaining a "clearer financial picture" into a car he was driving. He only appeared in three games for Bosnian squad BC Igokea and then returned to the U.S. after undergoing an injury. Despite being invited to the combine, Preston opted not to participate in the 5-on-5 events. That, combined with everything else, left enough uncertainty among teams to keep him from being drafted. "Billy, we talked to some people, people told us that Billy was kind of all over the board," Self said. "Everybody was really, really high on his talent. But you know, they haven't seen him much." But again, Self said, there may be a silver lining. "I would much rather be at the right place," Self said, "than be drafted by a team that really has no intention [of you] making the team — except maybe making you a two-way player or putting you in the G-league." Preston, for what it's worth, seemed to agree. "Many Blessings come in disguises," Preston tweeted. "In Due Time...#UNDRAFTED."<doc-sep>
It didn't take long for Malik Newman to catch on with an NBA team. After going undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft, Newman reportedly signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. Yahoo Sports' Shams Charania first reported the news. The KC Star confirmed the report via Newman's father. Newman, a five-star recruit out of high school, played his first season at Mississippi State before transferring and sitting out a year in Lawrence. In his time off the court, Newman drew high expectations. KU coach Bill Self viewed him as a potential team scoring leader and All-Big 12 type talent. Despite a key performance against Kentucky in just the second game of the season — Newman scored 12 points, grabbed nine rebounds and hit a key 3 late in the contest — the redshirt-sophomore got off to a slow start, not really finding his footing until a 27-point eruption against Iowa State in the teeth of Big 12 play and back-to-back 20-plus point outings against Baylor and Oklahoma a week-and-a-half later. Newman was playing his best basketball by the end of the season. He opened up the Big 12 tournament with a 30-point outing, hitting on 11 of his 15 attempts from the floor. He scored 42 points and grabbed 12 rebounds over his next two contests at the event — helping lead the Jayhawks to the Big 12 tournament championship — and continued that string of play into the NCAA tournament. "Postseason Malik," as he became known by his teammates, scored 20-or-more points in six of his final eight games. He went off for 28 points in the team's Round of 32 win over Seton Hall and then surpassed that total, erupting for a career-best 32 points in KU's Elite Eight victory over Duke. In that game, Newman defended Duke senior Grayson Allen — the No. 21-overall pick in the draft to the Utah Jazz — holding him to 12 points on 3-for-13 shooting and defending him on the final possession of regulation. Allen put up a floater that missed off the rim and the game went to overtime. Newman finished his season averaging 14.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, shooting 46.3 percent from the field and 41.5 percent from 3. Like the other Jayhawks in the event, he participated in a host of workouts in the pre-draft process. Newman will now join a Lakers squad that went just 35-47 last year. He won't be the only Jayhawk on the team, joining second-round pick Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk in Los Angeles. Mykhailiuk was selected with the No. 47-overall pick after wowing the Lakers in a pre-draft workout. One source, in fact, told Phog.net he had been told Mykhailiuk "had the best workout of anyone that they've brought in so far." Newman's first action, like several rookies, will likely come at the NBA Summer League. While there are smaller circuits in Utah and Sacramento — both ranging from July 2-5 — all 30 teams will be participating in the NBA's Las Vegas Summer League, which spans from July 6-17.