Lakers to sign Scotty Pippen Jr., Cole Swider via two-way deals

The Lakers are set to add undrafted former Vanderbilt point guard Scotty Pippen Jr. to a two-way contract, according to Bill Oram of The Athletic. Los Angeles will also sign undrafted Syracuse rookie forward Cole Swider into their second two-way player slot, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The 21-year-old Pippen, son of Hall of Fame Bulls small forward Scottie Pippen, played for three seasons with the Commodores. The 6-foot-1 guard was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team in 2020, and was a two-time First-Team All-SEC selection in 2021 and 2022.

During his third NCAA season in 2021-22, the younger Pippen averaged 20.4 PPG, 4.5 APG, 3.6 RPG and 1.9 SPG across 36 starts. He posted a slash line of .416/.325/.749.

Swider spent his first three college seasons with Villanova before finishing his NCAA career with Syracuse. For the Orange in 2021-22, Swider averaged 13.9 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.4 APG and 1.0 SPG. The 6-foot-9 forward started all 33 games during his final NCAA season, with solid shooting splits of .473/.411/.866.

The Lakers have three veteran players — LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook — signed to pricey maximum contracts, so the team is eager to add cost-effective young talent. Pippen and Swider will log some time with L.A.’s G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, but could also help contribute to a depth-challenged Los Angeles club.