There was some of hope for Maxwell Lewis entering his second season with the Los Angeles Lakers as he showed flashes of being the kind of 3-and-D wing the team had been looking for. Lewis spent most of his rookie year in the G League playing for the South Bay Lakers after being drafted in the second round, so his sophomore campaign represented a chance to latch on with the parent team.
Unfortunately for Lewis, things remained much the same under new head coach JJ Redick as he was relegated to the end of the bench. It was a tough climb for Lewis to crack Redick’s rotation given the team’s depth at the guard and forward spots and the urgency to win basketball games.
Lewis would appear in only seven games for Los Angeles, all in blowout situations when the outcome was already decided. Lewis wound up being traded to the Brooklyn Nets in December alongside D’Angelo Russell in exchange for Dorian Finney-Smith, ending his short tenure with the purple and gold.
Lewis’ Nets career got off to a terrible start as he fractured his tibia in his debut against the Toronto Raptors, sidelining him for 20 games. Lewis went on to play 21 games and even made his first career start with the Brooklyn. averaging a modest 5.3 points and 2.5 rebounds. Unfortunately, Lewis was cut in the offseason in order to make room for the Nets’ huge rookie class.
2024-25 Highlight
Lewis barely saw the floor for the Lakers, but got extended run in a blowout loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. With Los Angeles trailing by double digits in the fourth quarter, Redick emptied the bench and gave Lewis some run to eat out the clock.
The 22-year-old played seven total minutes and went 2-of-3 from the field for four points. He also added two assists, one rebounds and one steal. It was a modest stint in a game that was already decided, but Lewis showed the Lakers that there were some traits worth developing.
Lewis would go on to appear in just two more games before being traded to the Nets.
2025-26 Outlook
Lewis was a member of the Dallas Mavericks’ Summer League roster and got more opportunities with Cooper Flagg shut down for the remainder of 2025 Las Vegas Summer League. Lewis seems to have the inside track on potentially securing a training camp deal with the Mavericks, but if not he could find himself trying to earn a spot via the G League.
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