The NBA trade deadline is a few weeks away, and the Los Angeles Lakers are expected to be one of the more active teams in pursuing another roster upgrade before Feb. 6. In the meantime, the team made a move on Wednesday ahead of the matchup with the Miami Heat at Crypto.com Arena.
According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Lakers have waived guard Quincy Olivari, who was on a two-way deal with the team and spent most of his time this season with the South Bay Lakers in the G League:
The Los Angeles Lakers waived two-way guard Quincy Olivari, sources told @hoopshype. Olivari has averaged 17.2 points, including 40.6 percent from 3-point range, 4.4 assists, and 4.4 rebounds for the South Bay Lakers in the G League. He's expected to draw interest in free agency. pic.twitter.com/61GHEzCD5c
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) January 15, 2025
Olivari made an impression on the Lakers brass during the Summer League and throughout the NBA preseason, as he quickly became a fan favorite as a dynamic scorer in the backcourt for Los Angeles. The 23-year-old only played in two games on the NBA level for the Lakers this season, where he saw the floor in garbage time and never really had a chance to prove his worth to the storied franchise.
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Lakers plan to sign center Trey Jemison to fill Olivari in the two-way role moving forward.
The Lakers plan to sign Trey Jemison to Los Angeles' open two-way spot, league sources tell me and @TheSteinLine. Lakers waived guard Quincy Olivari earlier on Wednesday.
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) January 15, 2025
The 25-year-old big man played in 16 games with the New Orleans Pelicans this season before landing with the Lakers on a two-way deal following Olivari being waived by the team. He averaged 2.4 points and 2.8 rebounds per game, shooting 46.9 percent from the floor in 10.4 minutes per contest.
The Lakers have been looking for some depth in the frontcourt going back to NBA free agency during the summer. The team’s efforts to bring in another bruising big alongside superstar Anthony Davis have fallen short, and it’s unlikely Jemison will fill that role for Los Angeles.
It’ll be interesting to see what the team does heading toward the deadline and whether another trade might be on the horizon to bring in a big man like Walker Kessler of the Utah Jazz or Jonas Valanciunas of the Washington Wizards.
LeBron James: Lakers aren’t the team they’ll be in February and March
Los Angeles has been very hot and cold this season, with the team tending to struggle when it faces some of the best teams in the Western Conference. Even though the trade for Dorian Finney-Smith was likely a step in the right direction, more moves are needed for this team to contend in the West.
LeBron James believes the team will improve over the next two months, whether that means they make another trade or two or figure out how to put it together with the roster as currently constructed.
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