The Los Angeles Lakers have signed Meechie Johnson and Chase Ross, the team announced Saturday.
The Lakers also waived forward Anton Watson as part of the roster moves.
Johnson, listed at 6-foot-2 and 192 pounds, started all 32 games for South Carolina during the 2025-26 season. He averaged 17.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals in 31.4 minutes per game.
Johnson shot 41.4% from the field, 32.6% from three-point range and 80.9% from the free-throw line. His 17.2 points per game marked the highest scoring average of his college career.
The 2025-26 campaign was Johnson’s third season with South Carolina after he previously spent time at Ohio State. He averaged 12.7 points and 3.6 assists in 2022-23 before posting 14.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in 2023-24.
Johnson also played 10 games for Ohio State in 2024-25, averaging 9.1 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists before returning to South Carolina.
Ross, 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, also started all 32 games during his final college season. He averaged 14.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.3 steals in 32.9 minutes for Marquette.
Ross shot 42.1% from the field and 29.5% from three-point range while making 72.3% of his free throws.
His production increased steadily throughout his Marquette career. Ross averaged 4.6 points as a freshman in 2022-23, followed by 5.8 points in 2023-24 and 10.5 points in 2024-25 before reaching 14.3 points last season.
Both players also appeared in Summer League. Johnson averaged 4.3 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 9.6 minutes over four games, shooting 50% from the field and 33.3% from three-point range.
Ross played three Summer League games and averaged 2.0 points and 0.3 rebounds in 8.3 minutes per game while shooting 75% from the field.
The additions give the Lakers two more young players to evaluate as they prepare for the 2026-27 season.
