INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- Glen Rice will be back with the Los Angeles Lakers next season.

The Lakers on Wednesday night exercised the $7 million option they hold on Rice, who had been the subject of trade rumors. The sharpshooting guard struggled in the Lakers' offense after arriving in a trade from Charlotte in March.

	Rice

"We value Glen a lot," Lakers executive vice president Jerry West said. "Our intent is to have him finish his career in Los Angeles."

West bristled when asked if Rice would be traded later.

"It's very annoying to keep hearing innuendos of trades. It's not comfortable for us, it's not comfortable for the players," West said. "It's something people simply make up a lot of times."

The Lakers dipped down to the Division III ranks and made Devean George of Augsburg College in Minnesota their first-round pick in the draft Wednesday night. George, the Division III player of the year, was the 23rd selection overall.

"He's really not a secret," West said. "You don't hear that much about him, but he really impressed everyone with his play."

In the second round, the Lakers took guard John Celestand of Villanova with the 30th pick overall. Los Angeles had just one selection in each round.

Phil Jackson was at the Forum for his first draft as Lakers coach, but he did not meet with reporters to discuss the team's selections. Jackson had also declined to talk about the team's plans before the draft.

George, a 6-foot-6+, 220-pound guard-forward, attracted the attention of NBA scouts at the Portsmouth Invitational, where he averaged 13.7 points and 10 rebounds to earn all-tournament honors.

"I know this isn't something a lot of people expected, but in my heart this is what I expected because of how much work I put into it," George said in a telephone call from his Minneapolis home. "I was thinking first round all the way."

George made an impression on the Lakers during a workout.

"He can make shots," West said. "A lot of teams liked him."

George finished his college career as Augsburg's second-leading scorer with 2,258 points and the second-leading rebounder with 1,211. He scored in double figures in 92 of 96 career games, and five times had 40 or more points.

"He's a versatile player. He'll give us some size and some more ballhandling," West said.

George played in a pro league with members of the Minnesota Timberwolves, including Kevin Garnett.

"He will not be intimidated by these players," West said. "He's very confident about his abilities."

Celestand, a 6-3, 175-pounder, led Villanova with 14.3 points and 4.4 assists as a senior. He played both guard positions during his career and finished eighth on the school's career assists list with 450.

"I bring size and quickness and I fit in real good with the Lakers' style," Celestand said in a phone call. "They want to play an up-tempo game."

Like George, Celestand also played at the Portsmouth Invitational, averaging 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5 assists.