Former Syracuse forward Cole Swider to play for Los Angeles Lakers summer League team

The former Syracuse star will suit up for the Los Angeles Lakers this summer.

Mar 10, 2022; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange forward Cole Swider (21) looks to pass around Duke Blue Devils forward Wendell Moore Jr. (0) during the second half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Former Syracuse forward Cole Swider will join the Los Angeles Lakers for their Summer League team, the Lakers announced on Tuesday.

Swider played for Syracuse during the 2021-22 season as the team’s starting power forward, and averaged 13.9 points and 6.8 rebounds. 

He previously played at Villanova for three seasons before entering the transfer portal. In his junior season, he appeared in 25 games with averages of 5.7 points and 2.8 rebounds.

Swider's NBA career to date

Swider declared for the draft, but was not selected and has appeared in 35 NBA games in three seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors.

Swider joins another former Syracuse star in being named to a Summer League roster with Judah Mintz joining the Philadelphia 76ers.

In the 2024-25 season, he played two games with Detroit and eight games with Toronto. In his stint with the Raptors, he averaged 19.6 minutes per game, and averaged 7.4 ppg and 3.1 rpg. 

His G-League career has included time with the South Bay Lakers, Sioux Fall Skyforce and Motor City Cruise.

Summer League Kicks off July 5 in San Francisco

The Lakers Summer League team will start first at the California Classic in San Francisco from July 5-8. Immediately after that, they will depart for Las Vegas to compete in the NBA 2K26 Summer League. 

The Lakers will be led by assistant coach Beau Levesque in San Francisco, while assistant coach Lindsey Harding will be the head coach in Las Vegas.

Summer League action will open with back-to-back games with the Golden State Warriors on July 5. The games will be played at the Chase Center in San Francisco. 

The team will then compete in Las Vegas

After leaving the Bay Area, the Lakers will head down to Las Vegas for an opening day matchup against the Dallas Mavericks on July 10 at Thomas & Mack Center. 

The top four teams from the Las Vegas league will then move on to the playoffs, with the semifinals to be played on July 19, with the championship game on July 20 at 10 p.m. ET (TV: ESPN).

The remaining 26 teams will participate in a fifth game to be played either on July 18, 29, or 20.

One player who will not suit up for the Lakers for Summer League is second-round pick Adou Thiero. He is reportedly still recovering from a left knee injury that happened during his college career at Arkansas. But Thiero is expected to be ready to play by training camp.

SUPPORT THE JUICE ONLINE

Can't get enough on Syracuse athletics? Be sure to listen to our Syracuse Orange Podcast, The Juice on the Cuse.