Inside: Lakers sign center Damian Jones to a 10-day contract.

Talk about a fast break: Before he even signed a contract, Damian Jones’ first assignment from the Lakers was to get from Phoenix to Los Angeles in less than seven hours.

Jones, 25, got the call on Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m., and the Lakers needed him in El Segundo by 11 p.m. to administer a coronavirus test that would clear him to play on Friday night against the Portland Trail Blazers. It was the first true test of Jones’ resourcefulness: He managed to rent a car, drive across the Southwest to the coast, and make it with about 20 minutes to spare.

“It was pretty crazy yesterday,” Jones said, grinning.

The 6-foot-11, 245-pound center officially signed a 10day contract with the Lakers

on Friday morning, the team announced. He’s expected to shore up the big man depth that has been frustratingly thin since AllStar Anthony Davis has been out with injury.

Jones is in his fifth year out of Vanderbilt, and three of those seasons were spent with Golden State, including the 2017 and 2018 championships. Most recently, Jones was with the Phoenix Suns, who waived him on Wednesday after he failed to crack the rotation: For the season, he’s played in just 14 games for a total of 94 minutes. He’s scored 22 total points and committed 19 fouls.

Without Davis, the Lakers are in need of shotblocking, which might be an area where Jones can help. Jones, who hails from Louisiana, averaged a block per game in his most productive season (2018-19) with the Warriors, which included 22 starts. Last season with the Atlanta Hawks, he averaged 5.6 points and 3.7 rebounds.

It is perhaps generous to invoke JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard when talking about Jones, who could just be a short-term stopgap for depth until the All-Star break. But the Lakers have two open roster spots, and perhaps Jones could claim one down the road if he can dip a toe into those shoes.

“He brings vertical spacing on both sides of the ball,” coach Frank Vogel said. “The lob threat at the rim but also the verticality and shot-blocking at the rim as well. He definitely has a skill set that can help us.”

Under Rob Pelinka, former supporting members of the Warriors have found a way of landing in the Lakers’ laps: In previous seasons, they’ve signed JaVale McGee, Quinn Cook, DeMarcus Cousins and traded for Alfonzo McKinnie.

The Lakers have limited options in adding to their roster, with their hard salary cap leaving them less than $2 million to fill out roster spots, including one they created on Wednesday when they cut Cook. Much of the roster is also on the first year of new contracts or on one-year deals that restrict the team’s ability to trade players.

Jones took the Staples Center court two hours before tip to talk over his role with assistants Mike Penberthy and Phil Handy, even though he was not expected to play on Friday night. Having McKinnie, a former teammate, was helpful, he said.

“It’s cool to have former teammates who I know on the squad, kind of show me the ropes of what’s going on,” he said. “Some of the culture of the team. Just a familiar face, help me get accustomed.”