The Lakers are signing former Villanova forward Eric Dixon to a two-way contract, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Dixon was the top player on ESPN’s big board who went undrafted tonight, coming in at No. 44 overall. Sam Vecenie of The Athletic was a little lower on the fifth-year senior, ranking him No. 67 on his on board.
The 6’8″ lefty led all Division I players in scoring in 2024/25, putting up 23.3 points per game on .451/.407/.813 shooting splits in 35 appearances for the Wildcats (34.8 MPG). He also chipped in 5.1 rebounds per contest en route to third-team All-America honors.
Dixon, 24, weighs about 260 lbs. and will likely have to play some center at the NBA level due to his lack of foot speed. While he was a prolific outside shooter and scorer in college, talent evaluators view his defense as his biggest question mark as he turns pro.
The Lakers are carrying over center Trey Jemison on a two-way deal, but Christian Koloko is a free agent and the team finished the season with a two-way opening, so no one will have to be cut to make room for Dixon when he’s eligible to sign in July.
Surprised that he didn’t get drafted.
Perhaps LAL promised him a two-way spot and maybe even a clear path to a full contract. They’ve been doing this for a while, did it with Reaves.
At those spots teams are looking for 2-way guys, and when other teams contacted his agent he said his player won’t sing a 2-way with those teams. Because getting drafted at 45 by Orlando or whoever and signing a 2-way deal is not better than going undrafted and then signing the same deal with LAL, who have a thin squad and a history of signing undrafted players and making a name for them.
Lakers got a free 2nd round pick right here. He could end up playing the max 50 games.
Great pick up. Wish the Sixers signed him.