Following the Los Angeles Lakers’ free agent signing of veteran guard Marcus Smart, their offseason is essentially done. Barring an unforeseen trade of sorts, the Lakers current roster is likely to be what they come into training camp with. Of course there will be invites to camp, probably some of the Lakers’ summer league players who went undrafted.

After the Smart acquisition, the Lakers’ roster stands at 14 players on standard contracts and two players on two-way contracts. The team has Christian Koloko and Chris Mañon on two-way contracts, and reportedly had agreed to a two-way deal with Eric Dixon. Dixon sat out summer league due to injury and has not officially signed his two-way contract, so that spot techniremains open for now.

It’s likely the Lakers go into the regular season with the 14 players they have on standard contracts, and leave that 15th roster spot open for flexibility. But if they are inclined to fill that spot by the end of the offseason, the Lakers have a couple of undrafted summer league players they could look to, to try and earn that final slot.

Cole Swider could earn Lakers roster spot

Los Angeles Lakers forward Cole Swider (41) shoots a three point basket against Dallas Mavericks forward Jordan Hall (37) in the fourth quarter of their game at Thomas & Mack Center.
Candice Ward-Imagn Images

Cole Swider is not a recent undrafted player, but he did go undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft so he fits the theme of this piece. He also has familiarity with the Lakers organization, having played on a two-way contract in 2022-23, and returning to the South Bay organization in the G League this past year.

Alongside Darius Bazley, Swider was probably the most impressive player the Lakers had during summer league. In eight games in Las Vegas and the California Classic, Swider averaged 18.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals with splits of 49.5 percent shooting from the field, 43.1 percent shooting from the three-point line and 77.8 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

Swider is still two-way contract eligible as he has less than four years of NBA experience. If the Lakers want to keep Swider under their umbrella, but not commit a regular roster spot to him, they can always sign him to the two-way spot that was presumably for Eric Dixon. And perhaps if they like what they see in the G League, they could always convert his contract into a standard deal.

At the very least, Swider has played his way into a training camp invite. He’s shown himself capable of being a consistent shooting threat from three-point range, a premium in today’s NBA.

DJ Steward could earn Lakers roster spot

Team Earn Your Leisure guard DJ Steward (1) of the Memphis Hustle dribbles against Team Braxton during the G-League-Next Up Game semifinal at Moscone Center.
Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The other undrafted player who could potentially fight for a roster spot is DJ Steward. Like Swider, Steward is not a recent undrafted player, but he did go undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft so he also fits the theme of this piece. He also has some NBA experience stemming from various stints with teams over the past couple of seasons.

Steward was one of the top players for the Lakers during summer league in Vegas and at a the California Classic. In eight games, he averaged 11.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.1 steals with splits of 42.5 percent shooting from the field, 40.9 percent shooting from the three-point line and 88.9 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

Prior to last season, Steward had not made it past training camp. He had preseason stints with the Sacramento Kings and Boston Celtics, but was always cut before the start of the regular season. Last year, he signed a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls, but was cut about two months into the regular season. Thus, he is two-way contract eligible and could also be signed to the spot that was presumably for Eric Dixon.

During summer league, Steward showed a knack for defense, especially on ball. He also showed he could create his own shot, and be a playmaker at the point guard position as well. Like Swider, he too has earned a camp invite at the very least.