Former Cal Poly basketball star David Nwaba’s short time with the Los Angeles Lakers came to an end Wednesday after he was released by the team to make room for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Nwaba’s time as a free agent was short-lived, as he was picked up by the Chicago Bulls two days later according to Shams Charania of The Vertical.
The Chicago Bulls have claimed Lakers free agent David Nwaba off waivers, league sources tell The Vertical.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 14, 2017
The Los Angeles native played well coming off the bench last season and provided the Lakers with a much-needed layer of hustle and stifling defense. Nwaba finished the season averaging six points and 3.2 rebounds over 19.9 minutes per game in 20 appearances.
Nwaba was called up to the Lakers from the Los Angeles D-Fenders after he averaged 14.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 39 games. He signed two 10-day contracts before being signed to a one-year deal with a $1.3 million team option for the 2017-2018 season. It appeared that Nwaba would be back with the Lakers next season after they picked up the team option on his contract only to cut him two weeks later.
According to Lakers Nation, the Lakers were interested in resigning Nwaba after they finalized their deal with Caldwell-Pope, but the Bulls snatched him up before they had the chance.
Nwaba is the first Cal Poly basketball alumnus to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Over three seasons as a Mustang, he averaged 11.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.1 steals per game.