The Los Angeles Lakers have a history of finding gems amongst undrafted players, bringing them in on two-way contracts and developing them into legit NBA players. Coming out of last year’s draft, the team immediately moved to sign French forward Armel Traoré to a two-way deal and it quickly became obvious why.
While undersized for a true big man, Traore brought relentless energy and toughness any time he was on the floor, crashing the glass consistently and finishing at the rim with force. As a two-way player, Traoré spent much of his time in the G League with the South Bay Lakers, and he was solid there.
In eight regular season games for South Bay, Traoré averaged 13.3 points and 8.0 rebounds on 51.3% shooting from the field. He was even better during the G League Tip-Off Tournament when he averaged 16.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks in five games.
Traoré appeared in nine games on the Lakers’ main roster, averaging 1.6 points and 1.7 rebounds. The team would release him on Feb. 9 in order to sign guard Jordan Goodwin to a two-way contract.
2024-25 Highlight
In terms of the main roster Lakers, making his NBA debut will certainly be up there, which Traoré did on Nov. 16 against the New Orleans Pelicans. Additionally, his first career NBA basket came a couple weeks later against the San Antonio Spurs and that is undoubtedly a moment he will never forget. When injuries forced Traoré into a minor reserve role, he played solid for the Lakers with a four-point, three-rebound performance being followed by a four-point, five-rebound night in back-to-back games.
But when it comes to his top moment from a pure performance perspective, that came with the South Bay Lakers. In a game against the San Diego Clippers, Traoré made South Bay history by recording a franchise-record 22 rebounds in their 95-85 victory. He also added 17 points, three blocks and two assists in the performance.
2025-26 Outlook
Following his release from the Lakers, Traoré would sign a contract with Baxi Manresa of Spain’s Liga ACB League where he was solid last season, averaging 7.6 points and 3.8 rebounds in five appearances. He remains under contract there and is likely to remain overseas for at least this next season.
A return to the NBA can’t be ruled out as he is still just 22 years old and has a lot room for growth and potential. Additionally, his younger brother Nolan Traoré was selected 19th overall by the Brooklyn Nets in the 2025 NBA Draft, so the possibility of playing with or against his brother could push him to try and get back to the NBA at some point.
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