The Lakers signed training-camp standout Quincy Olivari to a two-way contract, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto. Los Angeles is waiving Colin Castleton to make room, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Olivari drew rave reviews from Lakers staffers during the offseason, and he backed it up with impressive play during the preseason. He averaged 8.8 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting a blistering 57.1% from beyond the arc across four preseason games (with one start). He closed out the preseason on Friday with a 22-point performance.
Olivari played four collegiate seasons at Rice before transferring to Xavier for his final season. He averaged 19.2 points and shot 40.9% from three on 7.6 attempts per game last season. He went undrafted in the 2024 class but is now set to make the Lakers’ opening-day roster.
Castleton appeared in 16 games with the Lakers last season on a two-way deal after going undrafted out of Florida. He didn’t play much at the NBA level, but he impressed in the G League with averages of 16.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.5 blocks per game.
The Lakers made him a restricted free agent this offseason before re-signing him to a two-way deal amid a Summer League performance that saw him average a near-double-double. L.A.’s frontcourt depth is down right now with Christian Wood and Jarred Vanderbilt injured and Christian Koloko still needing medical clearance (though the team is optimistic he’ll receive it sooner than later).
That seemed like a recipe for Castleton to perhaps receive some early season minutes, but he only averaged 2.4 points in 13.7 minutes during the preseason. The Lakers are reportedly looking at options for center depth.
The Lakers are still one spot over the regular-season limit from setting their opening-night roster. They have Grayson Murphy occupying an Exhibit 10 slot, but he’ll almost certainly be waived in the coming hours. The Lakers have a full 18-man roster beyond that, with Olivari, Armel Traore and Koloko occupying their two-way slots.
