Kostas Antetokounmpo, the younger brother of reigning league MVP Giannis, was waived by the Dallas Mavericks on July 19.
It had been reported that the Toronto Raptors were interested in claiming Antetokounmpo, but The Athletic's Shams Charania has reported he will sign a two-way deal with the Los Angeles Lakers after being claimed off waivers.
Kostas Antetokounmpo — the younger brother of NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo — heads to the Lakers on a two-way deal. https://t.co/zpdgRZaedj
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 21, 2019
Kostas was selected by the Mavericks as "Mr. Irrelevant", the very last pick (60th overall) of the 2018 draft.
The 6-foot-10 forward only played two games with the NBA club this past season, recording two points (0-3 FG, 2-4 FT), one rebound and two steals in 11 minutes of playing time.
With the Mavericks' G League affiliate Texas Legends, he appeared in 40 games averaging 10.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 1.0 steals in 25.4 minutes per game. He shot 52.2% from the field and 24.4% from long range.
Antetokounmpo appeared in all five of the Mavericks' Summer League games, averaging 5.8 points and 2.8 rebounds over 13.4 minutes per game.
While he's very much still a raw product, his size and 7-foot-2 wingspan makes him an intriguing prospect. The Lakers will use this as a very low-risk and potentially high-reward gamble.
