Cole Swider’s next team after being waived by Lakers feels obvious

The Los Angeles Lakers made two small roster moves on Wednesday that indicated the end of a short-lived era. The Lakers waived 2022 undrafted free agent Cole Swider from his two-way contract to make room to sign Alex Fudge on a two-way deal.

Swider earned his spot on the Lakers because of his three-point shooting and it looked like he had a lot of potential after his first Summer League with the team. However, it became apparent that Swider’s game was rather one-dimensional and that is not what a contending team like the Lakers needed.

Could Swider have stayed with the Lakers on a two-way deal and spent most of his time with South Bay? Sure. But this feels like the team doing him a favor and allowing him to pursue other avenues where he may actually see some playing time.

And as it stands right now, there is one team that feels painfully obvious for Swider now that his career with the Lake Show is over. Swider isn’t looking to contend: he is simply looking for somewhere that he can play.

The Hornets are perfect for Cole Swider after being waived by the Lakers

The Charlotte Hornets are not the most glamorous team in the league but at this point Swider is going to take whatever he can get. There is an actual need for the Hornets that Swider can fill and they are the type of team that would take a chance on a young player.

Charlotte was one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the league last season (ranking 29th in the NBA), making them a natural fit for any role player that can shoot. Additionally, the Hornets are a team that is probably going to be tanking by March, so adding a player like Swider is a smart move.

This would allow Swider to develop on the fly in legitimate NBA minutes without risking the team’s tanking position as a result. In the best-case scenario, the Hornets would still look game with young inexperienced players getting minutes while also developing those players for the future.

Charlotte currently has all three two-way spots filled but none of the players that the team has signed stands out as a must-keep. However, the team also only has 14 players signed to the roster. The Hornets absolutely have the means to bring Swider in on a non-guaranteed deal.