Lakers G League affiliate makes intriguing acquisition

While the Los Angeles Lakers' post-All-Star break loss to the Charlotte Hornets drew attention on Wednesday night, the front office quietly made a move that could have roster implications as the season progresses.

The Lakers’ G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, announced the acquisition of forward Cole Swider in a trade with the Motor City Cruise, the Detroit Pistons’ affiliate, via Sports Illustrated. In exchange, South Bay sent the returning player rights to forward Chris Silva and a 2025 first-round draft pick.

Swider is a familiar name for Lakers fans, having spent his rookie season with the team on a two-way contract in 2022-23 after going undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft. A highly regarded sharpshooter out of Villanova and Syracuse, he was viewed as an intriguing prospect but struggled to carve out a role at the NBA level. Swider primarily played in the G League before being waived at the end of the season.

Since then, the 6-foot-8 forward has signed two-way deals with the Miami Heat and Detroit Pistons, though NBA opportunities have remained scarce. However, in the G League, Swider has developed into a prolific scorer. 

Across 72 career games, he has averaged 19.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting an impressive 44.8 percent from beyond the arc. He has reached double figures in 64 games, posted 20 or more points 39 times, and notched 10 performances of 30-plus points.

This season, Swider has continued his strong play, averaging 20.9 points across 18 games for the Cruise while shooting 44.1 percent from deep on 10.3 attempts per game.

The Lakers have now added one of the G League’s top shooters to their ranks, joining the recent acquisition of former Laker Stanley Johnson. With South Bay struggling at 5-13 and sitting 14th in the Western Conference, the move signals an effort to reverse their fortunes while keeping an eye on strengthening the NBA roster.

At 25, Swider still possesses valuable upside, particularly as a floor-spacer—an attribute that has always been valuable on LeBron James-led teams. With the Lakers recently adding Luka Doncic to their playmaking core, Swider could find himself in line for another NBA opportunity, potentially on a two-way deal.