The Los Angeles Lakers used their $6.5 million mid-level exception on 23-year-old wing Lonnie Walker IV, who spent his first four NBA seasons with the San Antonio Spurs.

The Lakers also signed center Damian Jones and guard Troy Brown Jr. to minimum contracts, bringing their current roster for 2022-23 to 12 players. Now that their taxpayer MLE is gone, the Lakers will have to use minimum contracts to fill out the squad. (Obviously, trades could shake up everything.)

Walker IV represents a high-upside signing for the Lakers, who openly stated their desire to get younger, more versatile, more defensive, and more athletic after their misguided, veteran-heavy approach last summer. Rob Pelinka said the Lakers would seek 3-and-D wings with their midlevel.

At 6'4, Walker IV isn't quite the “long wing” that many Lakers fans anticipated, though the Lakers surely believe their vaunted scouting department can maximize his potential. The former Miami Hurricane — the No. 18 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft — averaged a career-best 12.1 points in 70 games (six starts) for the Spurs in 2021-22. After shooting 37% from three-point range over his first three seasons, Walker IV regressed to 31.4% last year. He's a solid on-ball defender.

San Antonio pulled his qualifying offer on Thursday, rendering him an unrestricted free agent. Walker IV will replace Malik Monk (to some capacity), who was a candidate to receive the Lakers' MLE but opted to sign with the Sacramento Kings for two years, $19 million.

Walker IV, like Brown Jr., is a client of Rich Paul and Klutch Sports.