While most know the Los Angeles Lakers for their star-chasing habits, they've recently helped set the standard for unearthing diamonds in the rough. Los Angeles has struck gold in the most unexpected of places, helping undrafted free agents such as Alex Caruso, Scotty Pippen Jr., and Austin Reaves achieve notoriety.
Unfortunately, for as successful as the Lakers have been in that regard, they've also begun to establish themselves as a team with a painful tendency to let affordable talent get away.
Despite the fact that Caruso had established himself as a top-tier defender, Los Angeles let him walk in free agency in 2021. The same occurred with Pippen in 2024, as his star-caliber showings in the G League were overlooked at a time when the Lakers desperately needed depth.
Unfortunately, history may be repeating itself with the latest news to emerge from Los Angeles: Quincy Olivari is a Laker no more.
The Los Angeles Lakers waived two-way guard Quincy Olivari, sources told @hoopshype. Olivari has averaged 17.2 points, including 40.6 percent from 3-point range, 4.4 assists, and 4.4 rebounds for the South Bay Lakers in the G League. He's expected to draw interest in free agency. pic.twitter.com/61GHEzCD5c
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) January 15, 2025
One of the best stories of the 2024 preseason, Olivari looked like the latest undrafted steal for the Lakers—until he no longer was.
Lakers part ways with preseason, G League star Quincy Olivari
Olivari burst onto the scene when he scored 11 points in just nine minutes during a preseason game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Just over a week later, the stage was his as he played 39 minutes during Los Angeles' preseason finale at the Golden State Warriors.
Olivari took the opportunity in stride, going off to the tune of 22 points, seven rebounds, and two assists on 8-of-16 shooting from the field and a 5-of-9 mark from beyond the arc.
In response, the Lakers completed the best story of the preseason by signing Olivari to a two-way contract. He's done just as well under those circumstances, averaging 17.2 points, 4.4 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.2 three-point field goals made in the G League.
Olivari has lived up to the hype as a lights-out three-point shooter, posting a slash line of .421/.406/.711 in a featured role for the South Bay Lakers.
Unfortunately, the Lakers will now proceed in a different direction, thus opening the door for history to repeat itself. Olivari has all of the tools to develop into an NBA-caliber player and find a prominent role in a team's rotation.
As such, one can't help but draw the comparisons between Olivari and Pippen—another undrafted player Los Angeles could've signed long-term on a team-friendly deal.
Between the Tip-Off Tournament and the regular season, Pippen played 52 games for the South Bay Lakers. He averaged 22.2 points, 5.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game in 2022-23, and put up 20.2 points, 6.1 assists, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.4 steals in 2023-24—only for the Memphis Grizzlies to sign him.
Olivari hasn't yet reached that level of play, but if his performances over the past three-to-four months are a sign of things to come, the Lakers just let yet another diamond in the rough get away.