Former Duke forward Ryan Kelly has played his way into a new contract and another year with the NBA's most storied franchise.
Monday night, the Los Angeles Lakers officially offered Kelly a one-year, $1 million qualifying offer, making him a restricted free agent. Should other teams wish to sign Kelly, they would have to make him an offer and then give the Lakers an opportunity to match that offer.
An extension did not seem like it would be a possiblity several months ago. Kelly started last season on the Lakers' D-League associate the Los Angeles D-Fenders after he recovered from foot surgery he had in April 2013 following the end of the Duke season.
But the Raleigh, N.C. native came on strong following the turn of the new year. Kelly went on an 11-game run in early January, starting with a 20-point performance against Boston. He would average 13.9 points and shoot 39.8 percent on 3-pointers to solidify his spot on the team for the remainder of the season.
Kelly kept up the strong work following the All-Star break, as he averaged 8.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks a game, earning him a starting spot on the team. His ability to fit in on offense as the ideal stretch-four allowed the Lakers to space the floor, as he shot 33.8 percent from downtown.
Kelly was the 48th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. The Lakers added to their front court in this year's draft by taking Kentucky's Julius Randle at No. 7 overall.
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