A lot of fringe NBA players are deciding to take their talents abroad. Over the last few years, as the EuroLeague has gotten more competitive (and more lucrative), a lot of players are deciding that larger roles on prominent European teams are a better career choice than riding the pine in the NBA.
One of the recent players to make that decision is an undrafted forward who had a brief stint on the Lakers.
Marc Stein of The Stein Line reported Friday that Cole Swider is leaving the NBA to play abroad.
“Sharpshooter Cole Swider is nearing a deal with Anadolu Efes in Türkiye, sources tell
@TheSteinLine.
After stints with the Lakers, Heat, Pistons and Raptors, Swider is poised to join the growing number of NBAers moving to the EuroLeague and play for ex-Suns coach Igor Kokoškov.”
Swider’s career on the Lakers was short-lived and not all that impressive. Swider only played in seven games for the Lakers during the 2022-23 season. He averaged 1.3 points and one rebound while averaging 5.9 minutes per game.
Swider is known as a sharpshooter and did put up a solid three-point percentage in his short time on the Lakers. He shot 37.5% from deep in his rookie season.
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Still, his shooting wasn’t enough to keep him in the league. Over the next three years, Swider played in 28 games for three different organizations. Now, Swider has made the wise decision to try to see how his talents translate to the European game.
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