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The Los Angeles Lakers were expected to make the signing of 27-year-old forward Jamil Wilson official on Wednesday, as reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Monday. However, after a report by TMZ detailing Wilson’s involvement in a civil lawsuit surfaced on Tuesday, it’s now being reported that the two parties are no longer talking:
Sources: After planning on signing free agent forward Jamil Wilson to a 10-day contract, the Los Angeles Lakers have changed course and won't complete the deal. Wilson was named in a civil suit reported by TMZ. Story, including agent reaction, soon on ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 10, 2018
The Lakers have “changed course” and don’t plan on completing a deal this week but “haven’t ruled out the possibility of a deal with Wilson in the future,” according to the report by Wojnarowksi,
Wilson allegedly knowingly gave a woman he dated a sexually transmitted disease. Wilson’s agent, Steve McCaskill of Catalyst Sports, responded to the claim:
“Jamil has been irreparably harmed by the recent accusation which has now resulted in damage to his NBA career. We will not tolerate these false accusations, but will pursue all legal remedies with the full force of the law.”
The Lakers will likely now shift their attention to finding shooting elsewhere. As of Jan. 5, teams are allowed to sign players to 10-day contracts, something the Lakers were planning on doing with Wilson.
The Lakers will host the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday before traveling to Dallas on Saturday. Expect them to actively pursue free agents and trades in the coming weeks.
All quotes are courtesy of the original report by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, which can be found here.