The 2024 NBA Draft is officially in the books and the Los Angeles Lakers have to be considered one of the winners.
First, the Lakers ended up staying pat at No. 17 and taking Tennessee wing Dalton Knecht, who unexpectedly slipped down the board after reported concerns of his age and defensive struggles. Los Angeles then turned around and took USC guard Bronny James at No. 55, uniting him with LeBron James and making history as the two will be the first father-son duo to play together in the NBA.
Knecht and Bronny will get their chance to debut for the Lakers during the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer League, giving the organization and its fans their first look at the rookies. The likes of Colin Castleton and Maxwell Lewis will also presumably be on the roster, though the team will need to fill out roster spots.
Shortly after the draft ended, Los Angeles reportedly signed Armel Traore and Blake Hinson to two-way contracts, adding two more players to the Summer League roster. Joining them will be Xavier guard Quincy Olivari, who also went undrafted and is signing an Exhibit-10 contract, via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype:
The Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to an Exhibit-10 deal with undrafted Xavier guard Quincy Olivari, league sources told @hoopshype. Olivari averaged 19.1 points and 5.6 rebounds at Xavier last season.
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) June 28, 2024
The Lakers have also added Mohamed Diarra and Sean East II, per Jon Chepkevich of Draft Express:
NC State’s Mohamed Diarra has agreed to join the Los Angeles Lakers for NBA Summer League, I’m told.
The 6’10” French big man is a hellacious rebounder, plays with great energy, and really stepped up his game in March to help fuel the Wolfpack’s ACC + NCAA Tournament runs.
— Jon Chepkevich (@JonChep) June 28, 2024
Missouri’s Sean East II has agreed to an Exhibit-10 deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, I’m told.
The 6’2 ½" combo guard averaged 17.6 PTS, 4.0 AST, 3.5 REB on a 63.0 TS% this season.
Led the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament in points + earned a G League Elite Camp nod.
— Jon Chepkevich (@JonChep) June 27, 2024
An Exhibit-10 deal allows a player to join the team for training camp, meaning Olivari will stick around past Summer League and look to earn a spot on the South Bay Lakers.
Olivari started his collegiate career with Rice, playing for the program for four years before transferring to Xavier for his final year of eligibility. At 6’3″ and 200 pounds, Olivari has a solid frame for a guard at the NBA level and has a great outside shooting stroke. The guard shot just under 41 percent from three, continuing the Lakers’ pursuit of shooters to play for new head coach JJ Redick.
Although Olivari’s got a clear skill as a shooter, his lack of athleticism and defensive chops make it hard for him to make an NBA roster. However, he’s a solid flier for an undrafted free agent and should get plenty of looks in Summer League.
The same could be said for Diarra, who played at NC State and East, who played at Missouri.
Lakers’ Bronny James and family celebrate getting drafted
It was an emotional moment for Bronny James, who heard his name called near the end of the second round. But he landed with the Lakers after all and Bronny’s brother Bryce caught the moment he was drafted on video and showed everyone celebrating.
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