Former Gonzaga standout Drew Timme has landed a contract with the Los Angeles Lakers after excelling in the G League.
Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Lakers have signed Timme from their G League team, the South Bay Lakers, to a two-way NBA deal.
Timme may not be a starter in Los Angeles, but he should have the chance to get some playing time. Starting center Deandre Ayton is currently dealing with a knee injury, which will presumably make Jaxson Hayes the starter, and Timme could serve as his backup.
Once Ayton returns from injury, Timme might not have as big of a role, but he’ll look to make the most of his opportunities.
Timme, an All-American at Gonzaga, went undrafted in 2023 and joined the Milwaukee Bucks’ G League squad to begin his career. He started the 2024-25 campaign with the Sacramento Kings’ G League team but was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in December.
He saw his first NBA minutes with the Nets and performed well in limited action. He posted 12.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game across nine contests, which led to him landing a multi-year deal with Brooklyn in March.
Despite earning a contract with the Nets, the team opted to waive him in October, leading him to join the South Bay Lakers.
Though still early in the G League season, Timme has been playing well to start the year, posting 25.5 points, 7.5 boards, 4.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game across his first six contests.
He’ll look to continue playing well with the Lakers and perhaps eventually land a standard NBA contract.