Lakers News: Former LA Two-Way Player Joins Contender in Free Agency

He still has a shot at a long-term NBA career. But not in Los Angeles.

Jul 5, 2022; San Francisco, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Scotty Pippen Jr. (1) sits on the bench with forward Shareef ONeal (45) and guard Max Christie (10) and forward Cole Swider (21) during the fourth quarter against the Sacramento Kings at the California Summer League at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Former two-way Los Angeles Lakers swingman Cole Swider has found his new basketball home, and he will be once again joining a pseudo-contender.

Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the 6-foot-9 Syracuse product is inking a one-year, non-guaranteed deal with the Indiana Pacers.

Charania notes that Swider's sharpshooting acumen on the Miami Heat's Summer League squad this year proved particularly impressive.

In Summer League, Swider logged averages of 13.5 points while connecting on 49.1 percent of his triple tries, on almost attempts per game.

Swider, 25, went undrafted in 2022. He was quickly snagged by the Lakers, joining fellow two-way player Scotty Pippen Jr., son of Chicago Bulls Hall of Fame small forward Scottie Pippen. Swider didn't make much of an impact on the NBA level with the Lakers, however.

He appeared in just seven games in 2022-23 with the Lakers, averaging 1.3 points while connecting on just 33.3 percent of his field goal attempts. He also notched 1.0 rebounds and 0.6 assists a night, across 5.9 minutes per contest. In 27 regular season games (19 starts), Swider averaged 17.1 points while slashing .506/.436/.838, 4.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 0.8 steals a night.

Swider was not retained by Los Angeles after its 2022-23 season. He instead linked up with the Miami Heat on another two-way contract, but he once again didn't make much of a dent on the Heat's NBA squad.

In 18 games, Swider averaged 2.3 points while slashing .395/.333/1.000 in just 4.8 minutes per game. He once again looked excellent in the G League, however.

Playing 14 regular season games for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat's NBAGL team, Swider logged 24.9 points a game on .519/.500/.813 shooting splits, along with 8.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.6 blocks per bout.

Swider will be a deep-bench reserve option on the Indiana Pacers, who made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals as a sixth seed last season. Swider's addition represents yet another minimal transaction for the Pacers this season. The team made a point to prioritize retaining some of its top playoff contributors, in signing two-time All-Star power forward Pascal Siakam to a four-year, $188.9 million agreement as an unrestricted free agent, and extending guard to a three-year, $59 million deal.

Can Swider stick around long term and serve as a floor spacer for a young, deep, offense-first team? That question could determine his long-term NBA viability.

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