Lakers to participate in second annual California Classic summer league tournament

The Los Angeles Lakers are set to return to the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento this summer for the second annual California Classic NBA summer league tournament, which will take place from July 1-3, and the team just released their schedule for the event:

Monday, July 1: Lakers vs. Heat (6 p.m. PT)

Tuesday, July 2: Lakers vs. Warriors (6 p.m. PT)

Wednesday, July 3: Lakers vs. Kings (2 p.m. PT)

The Lakers participated in the inaugural California Classic last summer, which featured the Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings and Miami Heat. Unfortunately, their stint in Sacramento was less successful than the run they made in Las Vegas, and they lost all three of the games they played. De’Aaron Fox led all scorers with 23 points per game on 60 percent shooting from the field in the tournament, while Moe Wagner led the Lakers with 14.7 points per game on 38 percent shooting.

Wagner is expected to play in the California Classic once again this summer, along with his fellow 2018 NBA Draft classmate Isaac Bonga. Bonga didn’t play in Sacramento last year because the Lakers didn’t officially acquire him in a trade until July 6. The tournament began on July 2.

Wagner and Bonga will also likely be joined by Jemerrio Jones, who signed a two-year deal with the Lakers in March. The second year in Jones’ deal is non-guaranteed, but Los Angeles won’t be forced to make a decision on him until January 2020, according Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. In other words, he won’t have to be waived midway through summer league like David Nwaba was two summers ago.

However, as big of a draw as Wagner, Bonga and Jones will be, all eyes will be on the Lakers’ upcoming lottery pick, assuming the front office decides to keep the selection. While it’s unlikely they’ll land the No. 1 overall pick with the 11th-best odds in the lottery, the Lakers will still add a promising prospect to their collection of young talent. If all goes well, whoever that player is will make their debut in Sacramento.

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