In an interview with Benjamin Royer of The Southern California News Group, new Lakers forward Ziaire Williams expressed excitement about being able to play close to home.

Williams was raised in nearby Lancaster, California, which is about 70 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, and played high school basketball with Bronny James at Sierra Canyon. The former 10th overall pick spent the past two seasons with Brooklyn prior to signing a one-year, veteran’s minimum deal with the Lakers.

“I just thought it was a great opportunity,” Williams said of why he chose to sign with the Lakers. “Being that big wing, versatile player that they needed, I just thought it was a great opportunity for me to be a Laker. Even if the same team was in New Orleans or Milwaukee, wherever – just the opportunity that was here and the team that they had, I just thought it was the best fit.

“And then just being back home in L.A. is the cherry on top. Being able to play in front of my family and my friends, and I’m super excited. It’s all full circle.”

Here’s more on the Lakers:

• According to Royer, Williams has bulked up a little this summer, weighing in at around 215 pounds. The 6’9″ small forward also said he has been working on his jump shot and “finishing at the rim,” though Williams told Royer his early conversations with management have focused more on the other end of the court. “First and foremost, being a main defender, point-of-attack defender,” Williams said of his talks with head coach JJ Redick and president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka.
• While some Lakers employees are anxious about the possibility of more layoffs with a new ownership group expected to take over in the coming months, they’re largely optimistic about what incoming owners Bob Iger and Joshua Kushner will bring to the table, writes Dan Woike of The Athletic. According to Woike’s sources, certain employees in the basketball operations department and the locker room have been “turned off” by the influence of Dodgers brass under current owner Mark Walter, who agreed to sell the team just 10 months after he was formally approved as the new majority owner.
• The day-to-day operations of the team remain about the same as they have been, sources tell Woike, including conducting interviews for multiple job openings. However, other “high-ranking” sources within the team acknowledged that certain front office positions — including an assistant GM job — are unlikely to be filled for the time being. Pelinka previously offered the pro personnel/scouting-focused position to Steve Senior and Prosper Karangwa, who opted to stay with their current organizations (the Timberwolves and Sixers, respectively).
• It’s been a busy and “tumultuous” summer for the Lakers, per Khobi Price of The California Post, who evaluates the team’s roster moves and hands out a “B” grade to Pelinka and the rest of the front office.